Winemaker Notes
Shows aromas and flavors of granite, violet and cherry, with high acidity leading to a long finish.
Pairs well with grilled steak and other beef, rich poultry dishes, and game such as venison and boar.
Professional Ratings
-
Tasting Panel
Silky-smooth with elegant, juicy cherry and berry fruit; lush and earthy.
-
James Suckling
There’s quite a lot of ripe fruit and leather, as well as paprika and other spices, but there’s an underlying sense of freshness with some citrus. The palate is chewy and robust with some firm tannins and a fruit-driven finish.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Wild-berry, new leather, truffle and clove aromas take center stage. Smooth and savory, the linear palate shows dried Marasca cherry, mature plum and licorice set against taut refined tannins.
-
Wine Spectator
There’s quite a lot of ripe fruit and leather, as well as paprika and other spices, but there’s an underlying sense of freshness with some citrus. The palate is chewy and robust with some firm tannins and a fruit-driven finish.
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.
This significant Tuscan village—not to be confused with the red grape of the same name widely grown in Abruzzo and the Marche regions—was home to one of the first four Italian DOCGs granted in 1980.
Based on the Sangiovese grape (here called Prugnolo Gentile), the village’s prized wine called Vino Nobile di Montepulciano ranks stylistically in between Chianti Classico, for its finesse, and Brunello di Montalcino for its power. With a deep ruby color, heavy concentration and a firm structure given by the village's heavy, cool clay soils, most Vino Nobile di Montepulciano will demand some bottle age.