Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of blackberries and blueberries follow through to a full body and velvety tannins. This is so layered and deep. Fabulous texture. Better in 2014. We will see in the end whether 2006 or 2007 is better. Try in 2016.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2007 Brunello di Montalcino wraps across the palate with layers of sweet red cherries, flowers, licorice and spices. Soft and sensual, the 2007 impresses for its impeccable balance and long, suave finish. The 2007 kept improving over the time I followed it. This is a vintage built on silky elegance and expressive fleshiness in the fruit, but those elements need time to emerge fully. There is an inner resonance to the 2007 I find very appealing. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025.
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Wine Enthusiast
A wine that speaks of territory and tradition, it's clean, polished and pristine, with a nice balance between fruit and spice. Thick tannins need more time to age and soften
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Wine Spectator
Medium-bodied and fresh, boasting cherry, tobacco, iron and tea flavors. This red starts out smooth, picking up tannins on the dry finish. Best from 2014 through 2022
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.