Sangiovese Wines

wines

A bright magenta/ruby color, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino is floral and expressive with aromas of wild roses, raspberry liqueur, blood orange, and fresh pine. Medium-bodied, it’s graceful throughout, with refined tannins, even, mouthwatering acidity, and a salty finish. It keeps you coming back for more and is going to benefit from at least another year in bottle. Drink 2025-2040.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JD

This red is all about finesse, delivering superb balance and complexity, with cherry, raspberry, earth and wild herb aromas and flavors. Succulent and charming, yet with a solid base of tannins and vivid acidity, this remains focused through the long aftertaste. Best from 2026 through 2042. 4,575 cases made, 3,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSTobacco, truffle, violet and hints of mocha and cherry pie unfold on this beautiful Brunello. Classically crafted and elegantly structured, it delivers flavors of ripe Morello cherry, wild raspberry, baking spice and licorice alongside enveloping, refined tannins. Fresh acidity keeps it nicely balanced. Drink 2028–2039. Abv: 14.5% Kerin O’Keefe | 96 KOThe 2019 Brunello di Montalcino is remarkably pretty, wafting up with a blend of violets and lavender before giving way to steeped plum lifted by mint. This is racy and sleek, with cooling acidity and mineral tones that excite the palate. Juicy acidity enlivens tart wild berry fruits. The 2019 finds its center through the finish, as fine tannins emerge and a crunchy sensation lingers. Licorice and bitter blackberry notes taper off slowly. In a word, fantastic. The balance of complexity, structure and energy places the 2019 very high in my book.Vinous Media | 95 VMA ruby/magenta color, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino offers more rounded floral aromas of preserved strawberry, baby powder, cocoa, and lavender. Medium-bodied, it brings forward excellent energy on the palate, with fresh acidity, good concentration, and a sustained and mouthwatering finish that’s pure and delicious. The structure feels more noble than the nose would suggest and perhaps just needs more time to come into its own, but this is a really delicious wine that I would love to have again and again. On the second tasting, it offers a more plush and velvety texture, and its chocolate notes last on the finish. Drink 2024-2040.Jeb Dunnuck | 94+ JDVery pretty floral aromas with black cherry and orange peel. Medium body, firm tannins and a polished and silky-textured finish. Drink in two or three years and beyond. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 93 JSGiacomo Bartolomei has been making the wine at his family’s property without an external consultant since 2016. He maintains an uber-pristine cellar, prepares a pied de cuve to aid spontaneous fermentations in stainless steel and has reduced time in wood to preserve freshness as the wine ages. From its deep ruby hue to its black cherry scents, the 2019 is youthful and primary. Accents of mocha, bitter orange and sage bestow complexity on the palate. Fairly robust and mouthfilling, this is buttressed by dry, grainy tannins. Could do with a bit more precision but there is potential here.Decanter | 92 DEC

Blueberry, blackberry and chocolate aromas yet subtle and perfumed. Full-bodied with chewy tannins and lots of structure. Shows depth and has a purpose. Needs time to come together soon. Try after 2027.James Suckling | 97 JSThe Caparzo 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna La Casa offers a balanced presentation of candied cherry, dried fruit and toasted spice. This is a lovely and joyous wine with velvety soft tannins and good inner energy that adds dimension and depth to the mouthfeel. Vigna La Casa is a contemporary expression from Montalcino with extra fruit concentration and structure, and the results are carefully balanced throughout. Some 14,000 bottles were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna La Casa hails from the Montosoli hillside, facing the town of Montalcino. It’s youthfully moody and dark in the glass, slowly evolving with violet florals, crushed wild berries and sweet spice. Silky and pliant, it sweeps across the palate with juicy textural waves of mineral-drenched red fruits as inner florals resonate and grippy tannins mount toward the close. The Vigna La Casa tapers off long, structured and classically dry, leaving a licorice twang and hints of tart orange that curl the tongue. The future is very bright, but the 2019 will require serious patience.Vinous Media | 95 VMRipe and inviting, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Vigna La Casa pours a deep ruby/red color and reveals intertwining notes of kirsch, fresh leather, dried roses, and sweet Mediterranean herbs. It’s elegant and full-bodied, with ripe tannins, a plush texture, and wonderful length that floats away gently. It’s a very attractive wine with a weightless feel and has an open window for enjoyment over the coming 10-12 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDOpening with aromas of raspberry compote, graphite, hay and botanical herb, the 2019 Caparzo La Casa is excellent. Focused and elegantly structured, the palate features pomegranate, cherry tart, licorice and mocha framed in taut, close-grained tannins. It’s balanced, with fresh acidity. Drink 2028–2039. Abv: 14.5% Kerin O’Keefe | 95 KOCaparzo’s flagship Brunello, La Casa is crafted from a 5 hectare vineyard on the hill of Montosoli. It spends a year in barriques before being transferred to larger, 30 hectolitre oak casks. In contrast with the estate bottling, La Casa is restrained and introspective in its youth. Subtle mocha and crushed allspice emerge, then eventually wild, red woodland berries. The palate is more effusive exhibiting a generous core of pure luscious raspberries imbued with vanilla and liquorice. Gravelly textured tannins remain tightly fastened demanding time to loosen. An appetising stony finish.Decanter | 94 DEC

Darkly alluring and spicy, the 2019 Brunello di Montalcino emanates from the glass with an earthy blend of crushed rocks, savory herbs, spiced blood orange and dried cherries. This soothes the palate with its soft textures and depths of wild berry fruit. Brisk acidity and mineral tones add lift but also depth. The 2019 finishes dramatically long and structured, turning youthfully inward on itself as orange and rosy inner florals resonate. The house style is on full display here, elevated by the radiant fruits of the 2019 vintage.Vinous Media | 95 VMThe 2019 Brunello di Montalcino opens to dried cassis and cranberry, and there is a hint of something floral and fragile, like crushed red rose petals or potpourri. However, the wine also shows growing momentum, especially as it opens in the glass and you start to recognize dark spice, clove, bay leaf and thyme. There is a point of sweetness on the mid-palate, even some dried raspberry, rendering an overall more accessible wine. Compared to the brilliant fruit in the Filo di Seta, this village wine has drier notes with hints of daisy greens and dried currant.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPPolished and refined wine with aromas of wild strawberries, dark cherries and violets.Rich and full-bodied with balanced, soft acidity. Firm and fine-grained tannins. Energetic. Better after 2027.James Suckling | 93 JS

Beautiful fresh fruit with crushed cherries, orange peel and flowers. Pure. Full-bodied with round and juicy fruit and a long, creamy finish. Flamboyant and beautiful with velvety and creamy tannins that provide a wonderful texture. Drink after 2027.James Suckling | 96 JSThe Siro Pacenti 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Pelagrilli is heavily marked by an oak tone that sits front and center with whiffs of campfire ash or freshly split firewood. The wine shows rock-solid concentration and a level of phenolic extraction that you don’t easily find in Montalcino, unless you make it your mission. The tannins are bitter and grippy, and the oak tannins overshadow the fruit tannins at this very young stage in the wine’s life. The alcohol content is a very high 15.5%. Having said all that, 2019 does offer an excellent core of dark fruit, and it has the elements, and the freshness, for long aging. If you love the wines of Siro Pacenti, then you know these wines need more bottle age. Production is 24,000 bottles.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RPA beguiling blend of mint, cedar and spiced orange slowly gives way to dried strawberries as the spicy and seductive 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Pelagrilli blossoms in the glass. Silky and round, it flows across the palate with a dense wave of ripe red and black fruits complicated by a bitter bite of clove and dark chocolate. It finishes long and inward, structured with sweet tannins as echoes of violet and lavender fade. I can really feel the heavy clay soils in this rendition of Pelagrilli, as they add a weight and plush feeling, yet still, the energy of the vintage shines through.Vinous Media | 93 VM

Aromas of bark, dark cherries and flowers, too. It’s medium- to full-bodied with purity of fruit that runs the length of the wine. It goes on for minutes. Very fine tannins. From organically grown grapes. Needs three or four years to completely come together, but gorgeous. Drink after 2026.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2019 Brunello di Montalcino is darkly alluring, with an earthy blend of crushed rocks and flowery underbrush, giving way to steeped plums and violet florals. This sweeps across the palate with juicy textures as exotic spices and crisp red fruits slowly saturate. The 2019 finishes long and staining, with crunchy tannins that frame the experience well without slowly its momentum as an air of lavender fades over a staining of black licorice.Vinous Media | 93 VMAn under-the-radar estate, La Serena is located directly east of the town of Montalcino. The organically cultivated vineyards sit at 400 metres on calcareous-rich clay with a southeastern exposition. The classy 2019 wafts with fragrant balsam wood, pressed rose and allspice. Fully packed and energetic, the palate shows impressive purity of spicy dark cherry with pleasantly puckering acidity. Chalky textured tannins are on the right side of extraction, building in power as they coat the mouth. This needs some time to temper.Decanter | 93 DEC

The beautiful 2019 Brunello Ugolforte from San Giorgio is elegantly structured and delicious. Showing the intensity of the vintage but also restraint, it delivers juicy raspberry, steeped cherry, licorice and tobacco alongside smooth, velvety tannins. Drink 2028–2039. Abv: N/A Kerin O’Keefe | 95 KOThe 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Ugolforte opens with a minty freshness as flint stone and dusty rose give way to crushed cherries. Silky and pliant, this possesses an elegance not often seen, with violet and lavender tones accentuating its polished red and blue fruits. This tapers off with sweet tannins balanced by an orange hint. A structured yet mouth-watering sensation lingers on. What a beauty this is.Vinous Media | 94 VMFrom the sister property of Poggio di Sotto, San Giorgio Ugolforte’s 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino takes a youthful ruby hue and is a riper style of Brunello, with rounded aromas of black raspberries, candied violets, sweet cedar, and fresh Mediterranean herbs. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with ripe tannins and retains good freshness through its long finish. A lovely Brunello with a more rounded and approachable feel, it’s going to show at its best over the coming 12-15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDCherry and berry aromas with hints of sandalwood follow through to a medium body with integrated tannins that are fine and focused. Silky texture. Delicious finish. Very elegant with nice structure. From organically grown grapes. Drinkable now, but better in two or three years.James Suckling | 94 JSThere is deep black fruit and black plum on the San Giorgio 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Ugolforte. although it takes a little patience to get there. The wine is restrained or closed initially, and it’s hard to draw anything out for the first 15 minutes or so after the bottle is opened. Once it gets going, you are treated to sweet cherry, redwood, almond biscotti and dried rose potpourri. It ages in large Slavonian oak casks.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPFrom 25-year-old vines on steep stony slopes in Montalcino’s southeast. As with its sister Brunello from Poggio di Sotto, San Giorgio sees a spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts and long maceration. Aromas are dominated by oily herbs like winter mint, rosemary and sage at this early stage. Robust and broad, this emphasises vigour over finesse but is packed with personality. Spice and chocolate join balsamic nuances on a backdrop of glossy and concentrated dark red cherry. The tannic grip gives quite a tactile experience.Decanter | 91 DEC

The 2020 Gagliole, 100% Sangiovese from estate vineyards in Panzano, is fabulous. Rich and ample, the 2020 possesses remarkable breadth and textural intensity. All the elements are so well balanced. Cedar, pipe tobacco, mint, dried flowers and mocha all build as the 2020 shows off its class. Pretty floral and saline accents extend the finish.Vinous Media | 96 VMThis is a very special organic wine made exclusively with Sangiovese from Panzano in Chianti from 15- to 30-year-old vines. Compared to the other releases in this portfolio, the Gagliole 2020 Gagliole delivers the goods up front with immediate fruit intensity and aromas of ripe cherry and blackberry. This wine sports a bright and lively personality with a soft texture and pretty layers of sweet fruit. You get a lot of good food-pairing potential out of this bottle, whether it be with grilled meat or pasta. Exactly 5,748 bottles were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThis is complex with aromas of ripe black cherries, blackberries, dried spicy herbs, cedar, graphite and seashells. Full-bodied, firm and structured with finely polished, well-integrated tannins that keep building on the palate, framing the deep dark fruit and pushing the length of the wine. An array of pure fruit, spices and minerals on the palate. Very attractive and pristine. Tense and balanced. From organically grown grapes. Better from 2026.James Suckling | 95 JS