Carpineto Brunello di Montalcino 2017
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Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator - Decanter
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Carpineto’s single vineyard Brunello di Montalcino possesses a complex bouquet of nuts and spice, accented by hints of vanilla, cherry, and raspberry. Aged in Slavonian oak barrels for three years and cellared in bottle for 6 months, this wine offers a warm, smooth finish. A wine which will reward extensive cellaring.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Sweet and delicate aromas of rose water and strawberries are counterpoised by licorice and tar on the nose of this wine. This balancing act is echoed on a palate that feels gorgeously crunchy with fresh cherries and cranberries, but is also earthy and savory with soil and coffee grinds. Tannins, acid and heat walk a tight rope between refined elegance and raging intensity.
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James Suckling
A very pretty 2017 with a softness and roundness as well as ripe fruit, but it remains fresh and agile. Full-bodied. Delicious finish. Drink now.
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Wine Spectator
This ripe red is hallmarked by flavors of cherry, iron and tobacco, with elements of plum and eucalyptus. Strikes a balance between fruity and savory, with a lingering finish of dusty tannins. Best from 2024.
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Decanter
A juicy riserva that is coming into its prime. Still quite fresh, with chestnut nuances to the fruity palate.
Other Vintages
2018-
Wine
Spectator -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling
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Wine
Spectator -
Jeb
Dunnuck
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Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker - Decanter
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Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
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Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
Carpineto is a partnership between the award winning winemaker Giovanni C. Sacchet and the dynamic Antonio M. Zaccheo, offering a product line of wines spanning from the most prestigious Tuscan DOCG appellations to varietal specific wines of great structure as well as innovative proprietary blends. The winery is widely regarded as one of the quality leaders on the Italian winemaking landscape, exporting the majority of the wine production to over 30 countries worldwide. About 90% of Carpineto's wine production is red wine, 65% of this being "riserva" wines that are aged three or more years before their release date. Since Carpineto generally ages their red wines six to twelve months longer than the minimum time required by DOCG appellation rules the cellars hold at least three consecutive vintages of wine at any given time. This long aging period has allowed Carpineto to build a reputation for high quality and consistency, vintage after vintage.
Carpineto was established in 1967 in the small historic settlement of Dudda, in the township of Greve in Chianti, with the mission of making world class Chianti Classico. This was a radical departure from the marketplace of the Sixties, when the industry was focused on the production of Chianti in the traditional winemaking style sold in the typical "fiasco" bottle. The visionary founders, captured by the Tuscan landscape, the soil and the climate, immediately saw the untapped potential this land possessed to produce great wines. By applying modern viticultural and winemaking methods they set their goals far beyond the quality standards traditional viticultural and winemaking methods were yielding at the time. With this premise, the unyielding determination of their youth, and an uncompromising focus on making the best wines this land could produce the Carpineto mission of marrying tradition with innovation had set sail.
The Carpineto winemaking style is to deliver wines that are full bodied, complex and fruity in character, with a round, supple tannin structure and a long, persistent, clean finish. Despite their approachability upon release, Carpineto's red wines are designed for long cellar aging of twenty years or longer.
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.