Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Potpourri of dried sagebrush and mint with blonde espresso bean. Medium- bodied. Candied red cherry, granular tannins, and beautiful nuances of red tea leaf on the long, salty finish.
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James Suckling
Complex and open already, with aromas of slate, dried rosemary, grilled sage, lemon peel, sour cherries and cardamom. Supple and full-bodied with sleek and fine tannins. I like the olive-stone and herbal undertones. Firmer, mineral finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This is a medium to full-bodied Sangiovese with dark and savory tones that are folded into dark fruit and plum. The San Filippo 2018 Brunello di Montalcino le Lucére shows ample aromas of tart cherry and dried raspberry that give the wine a bright first impression. In little time, a second wave of toasted aromas and spice are added to the presentation. The finish is smooth, lean and polished.
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Wine Spectator
A supple, delicate version, this red evokes cherry, licorice, white pepper, earth and rose hip flavors. Intense and balanced, with a gossamer texture, building to a chalky sensation on the finish. Best from 2024 through 2040.
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.