Val di Suga Vigna Spuntali Brunello di Montalcino 2015
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Parker
Robert -
Spirits
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Dunnuck
Jeb -
Suckling
James -
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
One of three single-vineyard expressions, the Val di Suga 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Spuntali is the most representative of the estate philosophy and the Sangiovese grape. This classic Brunello shows the thick lines and ripe fruit that this vintage is known for, but it also offers mineral notes or crushed stone and iron ore that add contours and framing to the fruit. There is an almost saline or salty note on the close that you don't get with the other wines in this seri
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Wine & Spirits
Vigna Spuntali led the way among Val di Sugaâ??s three single-vineyard Brunellos from the 2015 vintage (all recommended here). Spuntali is situated in Montalcinoâ??s southern sector on limestone-clay soils, with southwestern exposures that bring cooling breezes from the Tyrrhenian Sea. Its juicy dark-cherry flavors are laced with notes of licorice and dried herbs, the fruit gliding over smooth, polished tannins. Fleshy and balanced, it feels the most complete of the three wines, with plenty of aging potential.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2015 Vigna Spuntali Brunello di Montalcino is more introverted on first opening, with notes of black plum, licorice, dried Mediterranean herb, and sun-baked earth. On the palate, it offers a tart dried fruit character, with a building tannin structure that finishes with tomato leaf, and bitter herbs. The most rustic and burly of the wines in the lineup of the 2015 Val di Suga vintage, it will benefit from allowing some time in cellar to see how this matures and its tarriness develops. Drink 2026-2036.
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James Suckling
Wet-earth, oyster-shell and dark-berry aromas follow through to a full body, chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Needs a year or two to soften. Try after 2022.
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Wine Spectator
Earth, leather, almond, macerated cherry and sanguine flavors mark this taut, dry style. The tannins have energy, but border on being astringent, leaving a dusty feel on the savory aftertaste. Best from 2024 through 2042.
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Wine Enthusiast
This opens with aromas of mature dark-skinned fruit, espresso and toasted oak. The dense palate offers sour cherry, ground clove and roasted coffee bean alongside close-grained tannins.
Other Vintages
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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.