Col d'Orcia Brunello di Montalcino 2018
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Spectator
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James - Vinous
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Robert
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Pleasant fruity notes of black cherry and jam, followed by the classic hints of spices and vanilla. The profile is warm, with ripe and clear tannins. Intense and persistent, leading to a long finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
This promising Brunello is hallmarked by pretty cherry, strawberry, currant and floral aromas and flavors. Starts out elegant and lacy, then the dense matrix of tannins emerges, giving different character to the long finish. Reveals wild herb and mineral notes that add depth.
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Decanter
Santiago Marone Cinzano explains that in 2018, délestage played a key role, especially over extended periods of 8-12 hours, allowing delicate skins to macerate with a reduced amount of juice in order to coax out sufficient concentration. Beautifully weighted, it's full yet agile with enough stuffing to carry it over the next decade. Above all, it underscores the freshness of the vintage: fragrances reveal themselves slowly but are very much in the floral spectrum, with cherry and thyme blossoms lifted by traces of pepper. Crunchy red plum and succulent cherry flavours take over on palate, where youthful grippy tannins need some time to yield.
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James Suckling
Roasted herbs, wild cherries, thyme and dried mushrooms on the nose. Medium to full body with silky yet firm tannins supporting supple and fresh layers. Excellent length with a delectably savory character.
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Vinous
Masses of crushed cherries and cloves give way to nuances of spiced citrus peels and cedar as the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino comes to life in the glass. This is round and pliant on the palate, with a balanced inner sweetness contrasting its mineral-tinged acids and tart wild berry fruits. Grippy tannins mount toward the close, yet fail to slow the 2018’s momentum, as notes of salted licorice are left to resonate under an air of dried roses. This is a deep and characterful rendition of Col d'Orcia’s Brunello, but patience will be required to unlock all of its charms.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Full and enveloping with purple floral perfume, the 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino is lush with violets, blue fruit, and black raspberry and leather. This moves seamlessly to the palate, where it takes on even more depth, with iron richness, meat, red cherry, raspberry, cedar, and fresh soil. A balanced wine for its style, it is a lovely expression where more warmth is not needed. Best after 2025.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A certified organic wine, the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino has dark fruit, bold cherry, earthy notes and a hint of black olive or scorched earth. The wine is generous and round in terms of mouthfeel with a streamlined mid-palate and plenty of Sangiovese acidity to keep things lively and fresh. The tannins are well managed and silky.
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As one of the original estates of Montalcino and now the largest certified organic estate in Tuscany, Col d’Orcia is a leader in Brunello di Montalcino, helping to define and promote one of Italy’s most prestigious wine regions. Tradition, integrity and sustainability are the pillars of the estate, whose classic style wines are celebrated all over the world.
Situated on the outskirts of the medieval hilltop village of Montalcino in Tuscany’s Siena province, the estate has a rich winemaking history that dates back to the 1700s. In 1973, the estate was purchased by the Cinzano family, who markedly increased the vineyard holdings. They are now the third largest owner of Brunello vineyards in Montalcino. Proudly defined as an ‘organic island,’ Col d’Orcia is committed to maintaining the natural environment in which it operates and has, for many years, employed organic farming practices. The entire estate includes vineyards, gardens, olive groves, tobacco and wheat fields, which are all farmed following exclusively organic agricultural practices. In 2010, the estate underwent the organic farming certification process and is now the largest certified organic wine producing farm in all of Tuscany.
The estate’ name translates to “the hill overlooking the Orcia River,” due to its position in the undulating hills between the Orcia River and Sant’Angelo in Colle. Here, southern orientations provide vines with abundant exposure to sunshine and vineyard soils comprised of limestone and marl facilitate natural irrigation. Located at about 1500 feet above sea level, the estate is favorably positioned against Mount Amiata (5,700 feet) which helps shield the property from floods and hail. The climate is typically Mediterranean, with limited rainfall coming in from the Tyrrhenian coast, 21 miles away.
The estate is currently owned and managed by Count Francesco Marone Cinzano. A world traveler with boundless energy, the Count is a tireless ambassador for his estate as well as the Montalcino region. Under his leadership, plantings have expanded exponentially at Col d’Orcia and the estate has been transformed into an organic farm.
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.