Siro Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne 2011
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Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
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Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A very muscular red with plum, blueberry, walnut and dried mushroom character on both the nose and palate. Full and chewy. Fabulous fruit and intensity. Amazing quality for the vintage. Wow.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2011 Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne shows great balance that is due, in part, to the advanced age of the vines (most of which were planted between 1967 and 1972). The wine delivers a very fine, silky quality of tannin and an elegant approach. The bouquet exhibits elements of forest fruit, crushed mineral, balsam herb and wild mushroom. The effect is graceful and nuanced. The nice thing about this wine is that you don't taste any of the fruit ripeness that characterizes this vintage. Those old vines were able to stand up to the summer heat.
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Wine Enthusiast
Underbrush, sun-baked earth, black spice, menthol and mature dark-skinned fruit aromas jump out of the glass. The bold, full-bodied palate doles out raspberry jam, ripe Marasca cherry, ground pepper and licorice alongside firm, fine-grained tannins that provide seamless support. It's brawny and bold but the refined tannins also lend a measure of finesse.
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Wine & Spirits
Sourced from 35-year-old vines, this wine feels dense and broad-shouldered, with flavors of ripe black cherry and plum warmed by ample alcohol. The wine shows rich spice notes from two years in French oak, and it reveals layers of fresh tobacco and roasted root vegetables after several hours in the glass. Prime rib would make a good match for its brash, voluminous style.
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Wine Spectator
Plum, black cherry, licorice and menthol aromas and flavors are the hallmarks of this rich yet dense red. Fresh and balanced, with fruit and spice elements on the long aftertaste. Best from 2018 through 2028.
Other Vintages
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- Decanter
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Giancarlo Pacenti is one of the leaders of the younger generation of innovative Montalcinesi who take inspiration and new ideas from outside of the zone and often beyond Italian borders. His two vineyards lie in two very different areas of Montalcino: one to the northeast of the town, where the wines develop full, ripe qualities; and one to the hotter southwest area near Sant’Angelo in Colle, which produces a more powerful, minerally wine. The Rosso is considered to be one of the very best, with the fruit’s inherent structure delicately enhanced by a brief passage in barriques (the 2006 vintage has just received 90 points from Parker). Since the 1995 vintage, his Brunello has repeatedly won Gambero Rosso's most prestigious Tre Bicchieri (Three Glass) award in addition to 90+ scores from all the major international publications.
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.