Winemaker Notes
Intense ruby-red color with violet glints. Explodes on the nose with fresh fruit reminiscent of cherries in spirit, red currants, blackberries and myrtle. On the palate, an unmistakable subtle entry with very long, silky tannins. A sapid, mineral finish that only this area can give Sangiovese.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This shows lovely depth on the nose with dark licorice, dried fruit, red meat, blood oranges and Indian spices. Full-bodied and intense, but with real linearity carved out by the bright acidity and firm, grainy tannin backbone, which help to delineate the red-fruited core and lead to a long finish. Drink in 2020.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
One of three single-vineyard expressions from Val di Suga, the 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Poggio al Granchio opens to a nicely saturated color and beautifully intense aromas. Fruit is sourced from a site located in the southeast quadrant of Montalcino where steep diurnal shifts help to sharpen and maximize those pretty fruit aromas. Wild cherry and blackberry are followed by aniseed, camphor ash and balsam herb. This elegant wine delivers an impressive load of Sangiovese typicity. This wine was aged in French barrique for 24 months, and the oak is expertly integrated.
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Wine & Spirits
Poggio al Granchio stretches along Montalcino’s southeastern side, the vines rooted in galestro-rich soils at elevations reaching nearly 1,500 feet. Aged in large French oak vats for 30 months, this wine is the most understated of Val di Suga’s three single-site bottlings in 2013, hemmed in by powerful, meaty tannins and pronounced mineral tones. Flavors of cherry and red currant emerge with exposure to air, accented by notes of white pepper, fennel and blood orange. Hold on to this for at least five years, and serve it with braised pork shoulder.
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.