Winemaker Notes
The special location of the Villa Poggio Salvi estate enables the production of an exceptional, very elegant Brunello, from Sangiovese grapes picked by hand with great care. A short path lies between the vineyards and the wine-making cellar, hindering an undesired fermentation start or eventual transport damages to the grape-stones. Its main characteristics, in particular the distinctively intense fragrance, the prompt and harmonious roundness of tannins, and the long aftertaste, are the result of the noteworthy microclimatic position of the originating vineyards.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
The nose is rich, spicy and herbaceous, with soil and mushroom undertones providing an umami scaffolding and sour cherry slicing through. The palate is more fruit-forward, with notes of strawberry, cranberry and hibiscus tea, for a wine with structure and depth that’s also refreshing.
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James Suckling
Sour cherries, tomato leaves, balsamic, walnuts and oregano on the nose with some chili chocolate. Full-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins. Nice freshness with touches of herb at the end. Drink from 2024.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Another energetic wine, the 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino is lifted with cranberry cocktail, cinnamon, fresh herbs, and saline. Medium bodied, a spine of fresh acidity runs throughout, with good concentration up front before tapering to nervy but ripe tannins. I love the energy and drive that is linear through the palate, although the fruit falls off before the structure. Allow another couple of years and drink 2025-2030.
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.