2015 Brunello di Montalcino
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Tasting notes
Mid ruby with orange tinges. Still a little closed with nutty hints. Brooding earthy cherry fruit. Definitely could do with decanting. Savoury, exotic spice hints and a suggestion of garden herbs. Then opens up to lifted cherry and wild-strawberry fruit. Really intriguing and knows how to hold one’s attention. There is something inherently rich about this but without any sweetness. Polished, suave and compact on the palate, this still isn’t entirely open. Long and with grainy tannins, it closes up on the finish. More to come. (WS)
Critic scores
Average Score
Alistair Cooper MW, jancisrobinson.com
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino opens with a bouquet that is dark and captivating, reminding me of picking ripe strawberries right off the vine, as its pretty, dark red fruits mingle with earth tones and hints of floral stems, then spiced orange and sweet minerality slowly develope in the glass. On the palate, it floods the senses with textures like fine velvet, yet not heavy in any way, instead guided by brisk acids and minerals, carrying fleshy dark red fruits with hints of savory herbs and spice. As the textural experience comes to a close, it reveals a coating of round tannins, with sweet red fruits, spices and pretty floral tones lingering on and on. What a gorgeous expression of vintage character complemented by this house's classic style. Even in its youth, the 2015 Gianni Brunelli will have a lot of fans, but it should also do well over the next ten to fifteen years in the cellar.
Tasted blind. Mid ruby. Subdued yet perfumed on the nose with a hint of old leather. Juicy, supple red fruit and bags of chewy tannins. A hugely appealing whole. (WS)
The Gianni Brunelli Le Chiuse di Sotto team is on a roll, and these last few vintages have really hit it out of the ballpark. Their latest release, the charming 2015 Brunello di Montalcino, is one of the stars of the vintage. This wine exudes the warmth and sheer exuberance of the growing season, which was beautifully warm and sunny. Yet it also stays true to the promise of Montalcino that strives for elegance, poise and longevity. This is a classic interpretation that offers a very precise and pure window onto the Sangiovese grape, with its tight aromas of wild cherry, medical herb and pressed blue flowers. The wine is a blend of fruit from both sides of Montalcino, the north side and the southeast. Between the two sites you get a mix of schist, sand, clay, tufo and Galestro soil. That's pretty much the whole rainbow from the appellation. Some 16,846 bottles were made (not including large-format bottles), and the wine was released in January 2020.