Gianni Brunelli Brunello di Montalcino 2018

  • 95 Robert
    Parker
  • 93 Wine
    Spectator
  • 93 James
    Suckling
  • 93 Decanter
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Gianni Brunelli Brunello di Montalcino 2018  Front Bottle Shot
Gianni Brunelli Brunello di Montalcino 2018  Front Bottle Shot Gianni Brunelli Brunello di Montalcino 2018  Front Label

Product Details


Varietal

Region

Producer

Vintage
2018

Size
750ML

ABV
14%

Your Rating

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Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

Deep ruby color tending to garnet with floral notes of heather and strawberry tree in the beginning, followed by soft notes of sour cherry and black berries. Concentrated and savory palate, balanced, well structured but fine-grained tannins and good final persistence. 

Professional Ratings

  • 95
    The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino does a great job of capturing the essence and the spirit of Sangiovese, a grape that delivers infinitely nuanced and complex results when in the right hands. This wine reveals wild cherry, blue violet, blood orange, rusty nail and sweet earth. There is a hint of scorched earth or baked clay that underlines the warmest months in this growing cycle. The results are balanced and fresh. I've mentioned alcohol content throughout this report, and although the 14% registered here is still quite high, is it below the average for its peers. This is a job very well done.
    Rating: 95+
  • 93
    Laced with cherry and raspberry fruit, this red also offers eucalyptus, mineral, earth and almond flavors. Vibrant and balanced, with an intense, mouthwatering finish. Best from 2025 through 2042.
  • 93
    Enticing nose of rosemary, wild cherries, lemon peel, chocolate strawberries and praline. It’s medium-bodied with a bright, fruit-forward palate, framed by fine-grained tannins. All in balance.
  • 93
    As with the 2017 vintage, Laura Brunelli will not be releasing a Riserva. Instead, the Olmo vineyard which typically forms the backbone of the latter is an important component in this annata Brunello, making for a lovely and complete wine. Mint, lavender and fennel lead on the nose while sweet, succulent persimmon and crunchy pomegranate provide the backdrop on the palate, and the chalky tannins are rather sneaky in their grasp. There's a superficial accessibility, but substance, intrigue and backbone suggest even more to come.

Other Vintages

2017
  • 96 Robert
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  • 94 Wine
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  • 94 Decanter
  • 92 James
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  • 92 Wine
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2016
  • 100 Robert
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  • 98 Wine
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  • 98 Jeb
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2015
  • 95 Decanter
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2014
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2013
  • 95 Wine
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  • 93 Robert
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  • 90 James
    Suckling
2012
  • 94 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 94 Decanter
  • 93 James
    Suckling
  • 91 Robert
    Parker
2011
  • 95 Wine
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  • 90 Robert
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2010
  • 95 James
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1997
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Gianni Brunelli

Gianni Brunelli

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Gianni Brunelli, Italy
Gianni Brunelli Winery Image
Gianni Brunelli, a man of many interests, established Siena’s Osteria Le Logge (now one of the top restaurants of the city) in 1977. In 1987, he returned to Montalcino and purchased ‘Le Chiuse di Sotto,’ an estate that had belonged to his father Dino, with 2ha of vineyards standing at 200m above sea level in the northern part of the region. Brunelli replanted most of the vines in 1989, but left untouched a small plot of older holdings dating back to his father’s original 1947 plantings. After Gianni passed away in 2008, his wife Laura, who was already working at the estate, took the reins along with her brother, Adriano.

A few years ago, the estate expanded with the purchase of the ‘Podernovone’ vineyard, located further south in Montalcino. The 4ha property sits at 350m above sea level and has a magnificent view of Monte Amiata. Podernovone’s soil is comprised of calcareous-marl and schist, which reflects light and heat, leading to a warmer site. ‘Le Chiuse di Sotto,’ a 2ha plot, is cool and airy, bringing bright acidity to the blend. As with Pacenti, the Brunelli’s vineyard sites allow them to blend north and south to achieve great balance, no matter what the vintage brings.

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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.

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Montalcino Wine

Tuscany, Italy

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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.

EWLITCHIBRU18_2018 Item# 1306582

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