La Fiorita Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2016
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Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This Brunello Riserva is a selection of grapes from a single vineyard. Not made each year, these perfect Sangiovese, have a similar winemaking and ageing process as our Brunello. The ideal maturity of the tannins from the skins, will carry with time a complex contrast between structure and elegance. The minimum required of ageing time is 6 years before release. Going further, kept in a private cellar , these Riservas will reveal a unique longevity of freshness.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
This cherry- and raspberry-flavored red is underlined by a saline note, with floral, eucalyptus, thyme and tobacco notes joining the party as everything plays out on the lingering, tightly wound finish. Shows energy and finds balance in the end. Best from 2026.
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James Suckling
Sweet berries and cherries with orange peel and hints of sandalwood. Medium to full body with firm, integrated tannins and a fresh, vivid finish. Firm tannins, but together and so delicious already. Give this two or three years to come around even more. Try after 2023.
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Decanter
A single vineyard expression from Pian Bossolino, La Fiorita’s Riserva was picked on 10 October. It comes across as very ripe in its aromas of wild black cherry and exotically spiced plum. Traces of smoke interject. There is a stony undertow on the mid-palate countering the boisterous mix of red and black fruit. A full-bodied, southern Brunello, this is well-proportioned and elegant in tannins. It finishes delectably sappy. Among the many overhauls this estate has made in the last few years, La Fiorita began working with renowned consultant Maurizio Castelli in 2016.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
La Fiorita's 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva leaves a lasting impression that is due to the purity and the depth of aromas in part but is also due to the very high 15% alcohol. A little less alcoholic heat would be more conducive to the delicate and lifted aromas of Sangiovese. Fruit for the Riserva comes solely from the Pian Bossolino vineyard. This wine is instead all about brawn and muscle; as a result, you're best off serving it with a creamy dish like steak smothered in mushroom sauce.
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2018- Vinous
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Cipresso’s wines are consistently highly regarded and rated. His winemaking style is focused on the “terroir” expression of each vineyard, along with a minimal-intervention approach in the cellar.
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.