Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Brunello di Montalcino Pianrosso Riserva Santa Caterina d'Oro 2010
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James Suckling
Aromas of plums, flowers, fresh mushrooms and violets. Full body, firm and silky tannins and a long, long finish. Beautiful balance and length. Powerful tannins underneath the exquisite fruit. Great finish. Goes on for minutes. Drink or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of wild berry, forest floor, new leather, grilled herb, menthol and dark spice all come together on this full-bodied red. The structured palate is still young but shows great depth, offering mature black cherry, tobacco, clove and licorice framed in youthfully assertive tannins that give it an age-worthy structure. Drink 2022–2040.Cellar Selection
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
With so many fantastic wines produced in 2010, it's hard to make a shortlist of your favorites. One expression that should definitely be included is the stunning 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna di Pianrosso Santa Caterina d'Oro. This is a graceful and super elegant wine with bold aromatic intensity that is followed by firm tannins and a polished, smooth texture. It offers power in the proverbial silken glove. But the wine is not simplistic by any stretch. The longer it warms in the glass, the more it delights and surprises. Delicate tones of wild berry, cassis, blanched almond and dried ginger work together in harmony.
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Wine Spectator
A racy style, with a firm structure buoyed by cherry, leather, mineral and woodsy notes. Firm but poised, presenting terrific energy and cut. Ends with tobacco, wild berry and iron elements. Best from 2018 through 2035.
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Ciacci Piccolomini is one of the most sought-after producers in all of Italy. This ancient estate has 35 hectares of superior holdings in the prized Castelnuovo dell’Abate zone, including the ‘Pianrosso’ vineyard (meaning ‘red field,’ a reference to the iron rich soils) and the ‘Fonte’ vineyard, which produces grapes for the Rosso di Montalcino.
Plantings of Syrah, Cabernet, and Merlot are to the south, where the Orcia river provides a milder microclimate. The non-traditional wines are as exciting as the Brunello and Rosso: ‘Ateo,’ which means ‘atheist,’ is a statement against the restrictive laws that govern winemaking in Italy; the wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. 100% Syrah ‘Fabius’ is one of the greatest expressions of that variety in Italy and Parker once called it “the finest Italian Syrah I have tasted.” The estate is a member of the EU ‘Lotta Integrata’ movement, which promotes reduced use of chemicals and organic viticulture; at Ciacci, fertilization is organic, and pruning and harvest are done by hand.
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.