San Giorgio Ugolforte Brunello di Montalcino 2017
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James
Suckling -
Wine &
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Robert
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Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
San Giorgio Ugolforte presents a dark core of red and black berry fruit layered with earth, leather, smoke, and herbs. Complex and elegant, the wine is full on the palate and firm in tannin structure. Refreshing acidity frames a graceful finish. Classic Brunello di Montalcino.
Traditionally paired with game and hardy, autumnal fare, Brunello di Montalcino is one of the world's great red wines. Enjoy with a celebratory meal or contemplate alone as a true "Vino da Meditazione."
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Lots of ripe plum and fresh flowers on the nose follow through to a full body with layers of fruit and polished yet chewy tannins. Sort of dusty texture. Flavorful and delicious. Transparent.
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Wine & Spirits
The ColleMassari group took over this property in 2016, with 64 vineyard acres adjacent to the group’s Poggio di Sotto estate in Castelnuovo dell’Abate, in the southeastern sector of Montalcino. This is the first vintage that Federico Staderini and his team controlled from start to finish, aging the wine in 30-hectoliter Slavonian casks instead of the small barrels that had been used in previous years. It unfolds with flavors of black cherry and sour cherry laced with notes of licorice, blood orange and mortared herbs. Tangy acidity propels the flavors as they ride on big, smooth tannins that feel classically powerful.
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Wine Spectator
Tightly wound, this red evokes cherry, raspberry, plum, iron and tobacco flavors, with a solid tannic spine giving this support and a firm grip on the lingering finish. Tips a wee bit to the tannins in overall harmony, yet this is complex and long. Best from 2025
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The San Giorgio 2017 Brunello di Montalcino Ugolforte (with 30,000 bottles made) is a little subdued when compared to the 2016 vintage, and it delivers broad aromas of plummy dark fruit, spice and crushed roses. The wine is mid-weight in texture, but there is a good amount of power packed within, thanks to the wine's structure and its compact fruit.
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Wine Enthusiast
This opens with aromas recalling dark spice, leather, forest floor and a whiff of coconut. The taut, linear palate starts off with dried cherry, licorice and coffee bean before close-grained tannins jump to the forefront and leave an abrupt, rather astringent finish. Despite the drying tannins, drink sooner rather than later to capture the remaining fruit. Drink 2024–2029.
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Decanter
Poggio di Sotto’s sister estate, Tenuta San Giorgio was purchased by the Tipa-Bertarelli family in late 2016. As of the 2017 vintage, the two share the same winemaking team with the talented Federico Staderini consulting. This is its usual balsamic self on the nose, with dusty clay and cherry compote joining those classic oily herbs on the palate. At the moment, it demonstrates structure over fruit and the tannins are a tad dry and rustic. Finishes on a tarry, leather note.
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Jeb
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Tenuta San Giorgio is part of Guido Folonari's enological project, heir of a historic Italian wine family; three estates located in the most prestigious and renowned areas of Italy: La Morra, Bolgheri and Montalcino. Restored to its former glory, the estate is located in Castelnuovo dell’Abbate, in a beautiful setting of the territory of Montalcino.
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.