Val di Suga Poggio al Granchio Brunello di Montalcino 2015
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Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Spirits
Wine &
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Blend: 100% Sangiovese Grosso
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2015 Poggio a Granchio Brunello is aromatic with dried red fruits, violets, dusty sun-baked earth, and saddle leather. It offers gushy, dark cherry fruit upfront, licorice and mineral earth on the palate, and a fine-grained structure and balanced acidity that bring a weightless feel in the warmth of the vintage. Generous now, it will also be welcome to rest in the cellar for the next 2-5 years. Drink 2024-2036.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Val di Suga makes three single-vineyard expressions of Sangiovese, and this is one of them. The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Poggio al Granchio comes from a sun-kissed 18-hectare plot located at the southeastern side of the appellation that also sees very cool nights, thanks to the soft breezes and diurnal shifts that come off the nearby Monte Amiata. You can see a sketch of this vineyard in the little drawing on the front label. Compared to the other wines in this series, this wine is distinguished by a thickly textured mouthfeel and warm aromas of dark plum and blackberry. That acidity comes in at the end to give the wine linearity and length. Rating: 94+
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James Suckling
Purity of cherries and watermelon comes through here with some fresh, floral character to the aromas. Medium to full body. Round and fruit-laden tannins follow through to a flavorful finish with lovely fruit. Better after 2021.
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Wine Spectator
Ripe, featuring sweet plum, cherry, balsamic and iron notes, this is powerful and expressive. Dense tannins underlie the fruit on the lingering aftertaste. Best from 2023 through 2040.
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Wine & Spirits
Poggio al Granchioâ??s vines are planted in galestro soils in Montalcinoâ??s warm southeastern corner, where Monte Amiata blocks the wind and rain. The hot and dry growing season of 2015 yielded a wine that is broad and low-toned, its flavors of dried cherry layered with notes of underbrush and warm spice. Subtle acidity keeps the flavors aloft, though this would be the first of Val du Sugaâ??s three wines to drink up while it retains some freshness.
Other Vintages
2018-
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Robert
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Wine
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.