Banfi Brunello di Montalcino (1.5 Liter Magnum) 2015
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Winemaker Notes
Elegance and power give this Brunello enormous potential. Deep red with garnet nuances, on the nose, it expresses its complexity with aromas of plum, ripe cherry and small red berries combined perfectly with notes of licorice and tobacco. In the mouth, it is full-bodied, with well present, but non-invasive tannins, thanks to their soft and sweet consistency. Intense finale on the palate and great persistence.
It pairs particularly well with rich and tasty dishes, such as pappardelle pasta with wild rabbit ragout, grilled red meat or wild boar stew with olives.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
So many spices line the nose here including cinnamon, cardamom, aniseed and walnuts. But there’s no shortage of red plums and dried cherries either. Balanced and suave, this is a sophisticated Brunello with a sleek frame of tannins and subtle yet persistent acidity. Drink from 2021.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Castello Banfi 2015 Brunello di Montalcino is fragrant and bright. Aromas of wild cherry, blackberry and plum emerge from the glass with spice, tar and licorice following close in tow. The unified front created by those aromas adds to the overall intensity and purity of the wine. The wine is silky and glossy with a mid-weight style that wraps closely over the palate. This Brunello is fermented in both steel and oak. About 80% of the total volume ages in 60- or 90-hectoliter botte made with French oak, and 20% is aged in new barrique. The wine was bottled in April 2019 and hit the market in January 2020. Some 580,000 bottles were made. You can drink this accessible wine straight out of the gate or wait to age it longer.
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Wine Spectator
Intense, with tension between the bright strawberry and cherry fruit flavors and the compact feel of the tannic structure. Wild herb, almond and earth accents add detail. There is a lot going on in this red, stretched tightly. Long finish. Best from 2024 through 2042.
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Wine & Spirits
Notes of tobacco, baking spice and toasted almond weave through this wine’s flavors of red cherry and raspberry preserves, the wine ripe and balanced for current drinking.
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Castello Banfi is a family-owned vineyard estate and winery located in the Brunello region of Tuscany. This award-winning estate was founded on the philosophy of blending tradition with innovation, and is recognized as a pioneer in elevating the standards of Italian winemaking. Dedication to excellence has won the approval of aficionados the world over. Capturing honor after prestigious honor, Castello Banfi is a constellation of single vineyards encompassing over three dozen varying subsoils. The estate is renowned for its clonal research that allows noble grape varieties to thrive in their optimal terroir, creating not only a consistently outstanding Brunello, but the ultimate expression of Montalcino Super Tuscans.
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.