Tasting Notes
Vinous 89
The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino is remarkably pretty, with an attractive mix of bright cherry and strawberry complemented by a dusting of sweet cinnamon spice. This splashes across the palate, propelled and lifted by juicy acidity, as tart red berries add tension, and a salty flourish of minerality evolves toward the close. If there is one thing I can hold against the 2012, it’s the modestly clipped finale, where licorice tones and the slightest hint of heat linger on. That said, when paired with the right meal, this spunky and mature Brunello will have a lot of fans.
Anticipated maturity: 2022-2025
Wine Advocate 90
The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino offers an authentic interpretation of this celebrated appellation in southern Tuscany. The bouquet is rich and sophisticated with candied cherry, dried currant and spice. I tasted this wine very soon after its commercial release and it took a little while open. It showed a point of reduction well. Give the glass a few vigorous swirls and the wine begins to peel back. Varietal aromas of moist earth, button mushroom, grilled herb and blue flower ultimately add to the wine’s timid complexity. Give this wine two or three years to flesh out.
Anticipated maturity: 2018-2027
