Winemaker Notes
A generous Brunello that radiates Mediterranean warmth. The regal perfume is both sweet and savory, with ripe berry fruit accented by balmy herbs and earthy wafts of incense. This deep, rich red is so elegant it feels almost weightless, its suave tannins gently ushering in the long, fragrant finale.
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
From a drought year that wasn’t simply about heat, the 2017 Brunello Di Montalcino pours a darker garnet hue and offers concentrated aromatics of baked cherries, tea leaf, tar, and balsamic-dried herbs. The palate is full-bodied and muscular, with compact, grippy tannins, a dry extract feel, and a savory, structured finish that begs for bistecca or a hard cheese. It should reward a bit of time in the cellar.
-
James Suckling
Rich fruit, like dried tangerines, cherries and figs on the nose, with mushrooms and chocolate, too. Full-bodied, dense and ripe with firm and broad tannins. Bold and flavorful. Unfiltered. Better from 2024.
-
Wine & Spirits
From a small, biodynamically farmed estate in Montalcino’s southwestern sector, this Brunello opens on vibrant red cherry flavors edged with notes of orange peel and warm spices. It’s a midweight wine with firm tannins and hints of smoke that would match well with grilled portobello mushrooms.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Sesti 2017 Brunello di Montalcino reveals a fine garnet color with medium richness. In terms of aromas, you get dried cherry, blackcurrant, spice, tar and camphor ash. The aromas are presented with extra intentional emphasis in this hot vintage that saw an accumulation of sugar and tannins in the berries. Sangiovese kicks in with its naturally high acidity that serves to counter and break up some of that power.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Camphor, forest floor and tobacco aromas come to the forefront. It's full-bodied, with savory flavors including dried cherry, blood orange and licorice set against tightly knit, fine-grained tannins. Drink 2023–2029.
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.