Pietroso Brunello di Montalcino 2017
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Ruby red color with garnet highlights, intense aromas, persistent, notes of undergrowth and small red fruits, light hints of vanilla and jam, on the palate it is elegant and well-orchestrated with long finish, tannins are soft and ripe.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of eucalyptus, black-skinned berries, underbrush and leather emerge from the glass. The savory, full-bodied palate offers dried black cherry, star anise and tobacco alongside fine-grained tannins. It's already approachable but also shows good midterm aging potential.
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Decanter
Pietroso is comprised of three small vineyards in distinct areas of Montalcino: one surrounds the estate just southwest of the town; another is in the northern zone of Canalicchio; and the last is close to Castelnuovo dell’Abate. The 2017 is rather discreet and unassuming, lightly perfumed with mossy green undergrowth and a mineral undertow. Mid-weight and suede-like in texture, the palate flows gracefully, delivering tangy cherries and chalky tannins. A palate-cleansing wine, this begs for duck pappardelle.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Pietroso 2017 Brunello di Montalcino shows a sweet side with cherry, easy fruit and spice. This vintage is simple in execution and delivery with a rather short finish and plenty of rich fruit weight. I recommend a near-term drinking window for this bottle.
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Wine & Spirits
Scents of violet and rose petal lead into flavors of baked cherry and strawberry in this appealing young Brunello. The dark, mineral tannins are smooth and polished, the fruit tones layered with notes of dried herbs and a bright twist of orange peel.
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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.
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.