Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Bright, generous, open aromas of raspberries, strawberry ice cream, mint and licorice. The attack is rich, with a full body, graphite minerality, great concentration and savory blood orange flavors in the finish. Very ripe, velvety, well-integrated tannins with crisp acidity. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Opening to extra dark concentration, the San Filippo 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva le Lucére offers a multifaceted bouquet that starts off on a creamy note with Nutella or Kinder chocolate but then quickly transforms into iris root, clean earth, pencil shaving, licorice root, dried cranberry and trail mix. The oak influences are strong, showing hints of toasted coconut at one point, and the wine ends with chalky tannins. There is a lot of complexity, and this is the best edition of this Riserva that I have tasted so far.
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Wine Spectator
This red's core flavors of cherry and blackberry are appealing, yet a broad wave of tannins builds through the finish. Accents of iron, eucalyptus and oak spice complete the profile. Offers fine length if not the finish of the best '18s. Best from 2026 through 2040. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.
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.