Winemaker Notes
The altitude, location and microclimate of the area where Rosso di Montalcino originates endow the wine with intense fragrances of forest floor with evident red fruits and ripe cherries as well as a hint of nose-palate elegance which comes from this perfect combination of factors.
Excellent served with cheese.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
Rose petals and dried cherries give way to flowery underbrush and savory spice as the 2022 Rosso di Montalcino slowly unwinds in the glass. Pure and lifted in style, this boasts a core of vividly ripe red berry fruits that swirl beneath an air of violet inner florals. Saline mineral tones mount through the close. Blood orange and spice hints linger as the 2022 tapers off long and gently tannic. This leaves the mouth salivating. Rating: 93+
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pretty and plump, the Salvioni 2022 Rosso di Montalcino La Cerbaiola shows the softness and richness of this warm and sunny vintage. However, the wine is also extremely faithful to the variety, so you get the sharpness and the interesting angles that are typical of traditionally made Sangiovese made in stainless steel.
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.
Famous for its bold, layered and long-lived red, Brunello di Montalcino, the town of Montalcino is about 70 miles south of Florence, and has a warmer and drier climate than that of its neighbor, Chianti. The Sangiovese grape is king here, as it is in Chianti, but Montalcino has its own clone called Brunello.
The Brunello vineyards of Montalcino blanket the rolling hills surrounding the village and fan out at various elevations, creating the potential for Brunello wines expressing different styles. From the valleys, where deeper deposits of clay are found, come wines typically bolder, more concentrated and rich in opulent black fruit. The hillside vineyards produce wines more concentrated in red fruits and floral aromas; these sites reach up to over 1,600 feet and have shallow soils of rocks and shale.
Brunello di Montalcino by law must be aged a minimum of four years, including two years in barrel before realease and once released, typically needs more time in bottle for its drinking potential to be fully reached. The good news is that Montalcino makes a “baby brother” version. The wines called Rosso di Montalcino are often made from younger vines, aged for about a year before release, offer extraordinary values and are ready to drink young.