2013 Brunello di Montalcino Madonna delle Grazie
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Tasting notes
The 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna delle Grazie pulls you close and holds your attention with a wildly perfumed and hauntingly seductive bouquet, boasting an intense array of wild strawberry, currants, waxy rose and licorice. There are depths of plush texture, dark and rich, yet with stimulating acidity to balance, and saturating mineral-tinged red fruits and spices that cascade across the palate. This leaves you with cheek-puckering tension, chiseled structure and tart red berry concentration that seems like it could go on for days. The 2013 is dense and youthfully poised, yet aching to explode. This is just a baby today, but the potential is off the charts. The Riserva is a special, single-barrel selection made by Alessandro Mori. While this was the first opportunity to taste the 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna delle Grazie, the wine was originally released in 2019.
Critic scores
Average Score
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
The stunning 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna Delle Grazie is a protagonist of the vintage. This growing season has produced a collection of iconic wines, and to my palate none is more impressive than this. This is the first time Alessandro Mori has produced a riserva. He did so because he "fell in love with a single barrel" as he puts it. That botte was left to age for an additional year (for a total of 41 months) and once bottled, it produced 1,700 magnums and 66 750-milliliter bottles. I had preview tasted this wine from botte last year, and this review is based on a tasting of one of those 750-milliliter samples. This unique riserva opens to a beautifully saturated and dark ruby hue. The wine presents an even sequence of aromas that segues from dark forest fruit to balsam herb and crushed rock. The careful balance of aromas is impeccable. The wine is robust and firmly textured, with a bright culmination of Sangiovese acidity that adds overall radiance and brilliance. It has all the criteria necessary for a long and successful aging trajectory. I struggled to score this wine and the only reason it fell short of a perfect score is because I have the memory of the stunning 2010 vintage so clear in my mind.
Sangiovese-whisperer Alessandro Mori has delivered another superstar wine with the 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Madonna Delle Grazie. The bouquet is detailed and fine with bright accents of fragrant red rose, red currant, cola, licorice, grilled herb and crushed white peppercorn. The bouquet is loose, light and buoyant, with a smooth and natural progression of building aromas. The mouthfeel, however, is direct, important and determined. It's that playful juxtaposition between the wine's soft side and its stern side that makes this such an interesting and sensational wine to drink. Only 5,993 bottles were produced, and that's the bad news.
Deep ruby. Pure, brooding and concentrated on the nose and with a touch of leather. Intense yet poised and with inherent richness of fruit and beautiful, coating tannins. Concentrated and with great balance and length, but really monolithic for the moment. (WS) (JR)
About the producer
Il Marroneto is one of Montalcino’s most respected producers. Its Madonna delle Grazie is consistently one of the top-scoring Brunello di Montalcinos of any vintage.