Winemaker Notes
Terre Nere Brunello di Montalcino showcases the pure expression of Sangiovese, highlighted by its classic garnet-red hue. The wine is beautifully structured, combining elegance and refinement with a supple, silky tannic framework. Ripe fruit flavors intertwine with subtle notes of mint and tobacco, creating a complex and balanced profile. Bright acidity lends freshness and supports excellent aging potential in the bottle.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
The nose is layered with invigorating aromas of coffee, salted dark chocolate, licorice, and wild strawberries and cherries. On the palate, a candied orange flavor brings out the fruit elements, but earthy and vegetal undertones maintain a sense of intricacy. Powerful acid stands in pleasing tension with tannins which are dense and chewy, yet polished enough to not be overwhelmed.
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James Suckling
A flavorful, well-balanced Brunello with aromas of grated chocolate, walnut, blueberries, dark cherry and bark. Full-bodied with firm, tight-grained tannins. Fresh and nicely framed.
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Vinous
The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino is nuanced in the glass, showing hints of sweet spice and dried flowers, as a note of wild strawberry evolves with time. This washes across the palate, soft-textured and cool-toned in feel, with juicy acidity that helps to enliven the tart red berry fruits within. The 2018 finishes wonderfully balanced, classically dry and lightly structured, yet with a resonance of sour cherry, red plum and a hint of citrus that lingers on and on. Nicely done.
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.