Pian delle Querci farms Sangiovese on the hills around Montalcino, in the far south of Tuscany, and bottles it only in the years the estate judges worthy of the name. The Riserva is the longer-aged version of that wine: Brunello di Montalcino must spend at least two years in wood and four months in bottle before release, and a Riserva adds more time on top of that minimum.
- Sangiovese, grown only in Montalcino.
- Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, Tuscany.
- 2017, a hot, dry vintage across the region.
- 14.5% alcohol, full body, dry.
- High tannin, high acidity.
How it is made
Brunello is a single-variety wine. By appellation law it can only be Sangiovese, and only Sangiovese grown inside the Montalcino zone. The Riserva designation means the wine has been held back longer than the standard Brunello before it leaves the cellar, which is why it tends to arrive firmer and slower to open than the annata.
How it tastes
Sour cherry leads, with dried herbs and leather behind it and a balsamic note that comes from long ageing rather than from the fruit. The tannins are firm and the acidity is high, so the wine reads as savoury rather than sweet. It has the structure to sit in a cellar for years.
Where it comes from
Montalcino sits south of Siena, on hills that catch more sun and less rain than the rest of Tuscany. The zone is warmer and drier than Chianti, and the Sangiovese grown there ripens fuller and darker as a result. That difference is why Brunello is its own appellation and not a Chianti in another guise.
Good to know
Brunello di Montalcino was among the first Italian wines granted DOCG status, in 1980. The name Brunello is a local diminutive of the word for the grape's dark skin, and the wine has been made in the zone since the 1800s.
