2012 Brunello di Montalcino Castelgiocondo
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Tasting notes
Masses of sweet tobacco, cherry sauce, cedar shavings and cinnamon sugar form a dark and spicy bouquet as the 2012 Brunello di Montalcino slowly opens in the glass. It’s deeply textural with medium-bodied weight and cooling acidity, yet quickly gains a slightly bitter tension, as wild berries and edgy tannins saturate toward the close. This finishes structured with an air of menthol and cranberry-like tartness that slowly tapers off. The 2012 requires further cellaring to resolve its tannic heft, yet my worry is if its fruit will stand the test of time.
Critic scores
Average Score
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The Frescobaldi family is becoming an ever more important force in the Montalcino territory thanks to recent land and winery investments. The Castelgiocondo 2012 Brunello di Montalcino is a soft and supple expression of Sangiovese. This oak-driven wine offers a generous bouquet that is based in part on dark cherry and primary fruit, and in part on spicy tones of toast and smoke. That said, this estate has very much redefined its use of oak and the results show much more balance and purity compared to wines made one decade ago. The brightness of the acidity also comes as a surprise given the warm vintage. That freshness is essential to the wine's aging potential.
Tasted blind. Concentrated, youthful-looking ruby. Tight, red fruit and oats nose and hints of wet earth with aeration. Creamy, red-fruit palate with definite oat notes. A little bit manufactured. (WS)