Winemaker Notes
Vigna del Lago interprets the traditional inspiration of Brunello di Montalcino wines of the past in a new way, fashioning it with essential winemaking and long aging in large barrels. Already distinctive due to a generally paler color, it stands out for its delicately classic bouquet of floral nuances, spicy overtones of white pepper, fruity notes of fresh cherries and hints of citrus (especially bitter orange, one of the most recurrent descriptors in Sangiovese from the northern sector of Montalcino). But above all, it is the elegant taste texture that recalls its territorial origin: an appealing impact, moderate alcohol level, supple palate, light and fine grained tannins, to enhance the harmonious salty and mineral overtones.
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Youthful ruby/red, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Vigna Del Lago is gorgeous, with fantastic mineral aromas of crushed stones, pristine ripe red cherries, white pepper, and clove spice. Medium-bodied, it’s mouthwatering from the start, with fine tannins, elegant concentration, and fresh acidity. It is lifted and long on the palate, with a linear feel, and leaves its haunting and sustained mineral presence.
-
Decanter
A virile wine, the 2019 opens with smoky ash, incense and iron. The well built palate broods with blackberry and black currants wrapped up in dusty, dry stony earth. Piercing, gravelly tannins spatter the mouth while acidity provides a tangy crunch. Trails off gradually with a rust-like aura.
-
Wine Enthusiast
A careful balance of savory, sweet and earthy marks the nose, ranging from coffee grounds to wet rocks to wild cherries to tobacco leaf. Strawberries join cherries on the palate, with both get lifted up by a squeeze of Mandarin orange before a flinty, warm chili pepper finish.
-
Wine Spectator
A delicate style, featuring strawberry, cherry, rose and stony mineral aromas and flavors. Offers an underlying salinity, with light, powdery tannins that cling to the gums on the long, loamy 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.
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.