2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Nonno Nello
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Tasting notes
The Baricci 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Nello is elegant and fine but certainly sharper and more linear compared to the fleshier 2015 vintage. This wine is well-suited to long-term aging. Time in the bottle will help it to flesh out and expand, texturally speaking. The wine is etched and focused with cassis, red berry and crushed limestone. You also get hints of wild herb and lavender. This is a very pretty Riserva, and as its opens, it begins to show riper and richer black fruit.
Critic scores
Average Score
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Deep ruby with orange tinges. Brooding, quite powerful nose with earthy, minerally hints. Lots of juice and fruit and long finely grained tannins on the palate. Fantastic balance but the whole still has to integrate further and settle down. Very long and layered. (WS)
The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Nello is darkly alluring and balsamic, with masses of fresh tobacco leaves and underbrush giving way to plums and exotic savory spices. This displays the dark fruits and radiance of the vintage, coming across as cool-toned and poised, yet also densely packed, like a bomb waiting to explode. The red and black berry notes are deeply penetrating and tinged with the saltiest of minerals, as hints of tangerine stimulate under an air of lavender and purple-tinged florals. With so much going on and such beauty within, the structure sneaks up on you, appearing only through the finale, leaving the palate classically dry while resonating on hints of currants and inner rose. The Riserva is produced only in the best vintages, in honor of Nello Baricci, who passed away in 2017. It hails from a choice parcel from within the Montosoli cru, and spends 21-24 days macerating on the skins, versus 15-18 days for the Brunello. It then matures in 500-liter tonneaux for 40 months. This 2016 takes things to a whole new level for this historic family, and it does so without damaging the integrity of the straight Brunello. (EG)
About the producer
Established by Nello Baricci in 1966, Baricci is one of Montalcino’s founding producers. The estate’s small five-hectare plot is situated exclusively on the Montosoli hill in the north of Montalcino – renowned for producing distinctly elegant and aromatically complex Brunello.