2013 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
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Tasting notes
The 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva was sourced entirely from Canalicchio di Sopra's vineyard on the Montosoli hill. It opens in the glass—dark and earthy, with a mix of crushed fall leaves, underbrush and tobacco that slowly gives way to plum sauce and sage. This is soft in texture yet far more energetic than expected, with a salty minerality that sets the stage for fleshy red and black fruit. The 2013 finishes grippy and long, with a mentholated freshness that helps to balance the lingering chewy sensation.
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James Suckling
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva wafts up to display licorice and crushed stone along with dark florals and rich cherry sauce. It’s soft and pliant, much more than expected, and a crystalline structure creates more of a cascading feel toward the close. This turns balsamic through the finale, with hints of black and blue berries, yet it’s spicy and full of energy, tapering off long and lightly structured, a twang of herbal-tea-like tannin lingering.
This has tarry aromas with a wealth of ripe black cherries and a dusting of cocoa. The palate has a plush, ripe-berry core, as well as a neat frame of succulent tannins. Good cut and drive here. Drink or hold.
The 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a tremendous wine that delivers a deep sense of inner gravity and balance. That, in a nutshell, is the secret of the top-end wines made at the exciting Canalicchio di Sopra estate. The wines made here always exhibit carefully measured balance in the classic vintages (like 2013) and in the difficult years as well. That extreme balance is exactly why you taste the vintage variation with such distinction. This expression from 2013 is remarkably smooth and silky with a steady succession of traditional Sangiovese aromas that span from wild berry, forest floor, wet earth, pressed flower and hints of tangy licorice or aniseed. This is a mid-weight Brunello that glides over the palate with precise, delicate and long lasting waves of intensity. Some 3,185 bottles, 174 magnums and 30 double magnums were made.