Winemaker Notes
In the glass Tassi Brunello di Montalcino has an intense ruby ??red color with garnet reflections. The nose is very intense. Hints of ripe fruit stand out, in particular plum and cherry accompanied by a very fine and elegant spiciness. In the mouth it is pleasant and refined.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Fresh and floral with dark fruits. Very perfumed. Full body, seriously tight and polished. Wonderful length. A cool and well-crafted 2013. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Tassi 2013 Brunello di Montalcino is a velvety and generous wine with dark fruit tones that are all-encompassing and beautifully ripened. In fact, ripeness is the key to reading this wine. This is a soft and succulent Brunello with moments in which some of the fruit tones move over to the jammy side, even for a very brief second. I mention that because 2013 was not as hot as 2011 or 2012 and you don't commonly see this level of ripeness in this vintage. These factors contribute to making a soft, rich and plush red wine that is accessible and ready to drink in the near and medium term.
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.