Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino 2013
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Robert
Parker -
Wine &
Spirits -
James
Suckling
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Brunello di Montalcino is downright gorgeous. The wine is inward-looking at the very beginning, but it quickly revs up to deliver soaring intensity and profound elegance. It goes from first to sixth gear in seconds and grabs all your attention and admiration in the process. The bouquet reads like a textbook Sangiovese, with wild berry, rose hip, pressed violets, cola, balsam herb, licorice and cigar ash. The bouquet underlines the wine's enormous finesse and pedigree, but the mouthfeel is all about frankness, directness and power. This is a naked and pure Brunello that glows bright with confidence and pride.
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Wine & Spirits
This 2013 Brunello is harmonious and long, its deep fruit flavors layered with notes of Tuscan herbs, cherry tomatoes and fine spice. The layers unfold over several minutes, taking on high notes of fresh thyme and bass tones of tobacco. The tannins are ripe and generous, creating an open-knit structure that makes the wine surprisingly delicious in its youth, although this is a wine that will age well for more than a decade.
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James Suckling
Leathery and earthy rather than fruity, this has plenty of body and tannin for the vintage and makes a bold statement. The tannins are rather polished and the long finish is well balanced and quite generous. Drink in 2019.
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The estate changed ownership in 2011 when the original founder Piero Palmucci sold to Claudio Tipa, owner of the famed Grattamacco estate in Bolgheri and Castello di ColleMassari. The wines of Poggio di Sotto have continued to enjoy a meticulous commitment to the long-standing tradition of excellence, giving them a soaring reputation which is among the finest few in Montalcino.
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.