Val di Suga Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2015 750mL

Growing Season:

The seasonal trends were simply perfect! Winter was not very rainy and temperatures were average for the season. Spring was mild, accompanied by good rainfall in March and April. That made up for a dry winter, and then a fairly dry May. Summer was hot, but always accompanied by rainfall that helped avoid water stress and allowed fruit to have a phenolic ripeness typical of the great vintages. The early September rains lowered the summer temperatures, delaying ripening and creating a slow veraison.

Grape Source:

Sangiovese Grosso from the Val di Suga vineyards in Montalcino in its three historic zones. ( 35% from Vigna del Lago–40% from Poggio al Granchio–25% from Vigna Spuntali)

Tasting Notes:

This is a very concentrated Brunello that combines intense notes of blood orange with a hint of chinotto mixed with complex Mediterranean spices (Helichrysum Thyme and Broom Flowers). It is a wine with a strong nerve, a vibrant acid structure that sustains a concentrated mouthfeel, rich in silky tannins. The finish is extremely long and soft.

94 Points - The Wine Advocate, Monica Larner, October 2020. "This is a very well balanced Brunello with sharp and classic lines. The Val di Suga 2015 Brunello di Montalcino offers attractive energy and brightness that is transmitted through the cherry fruit and wild berry aromas at its core. That primary fruit is surrounded by light spice, grilled herb and potting soil. There is a nice purity and linearity to this wine that reminds you of the natural depth and complexity of Sangiovese when given a little time to age. (Brunello is always released five years after the harvest.) This is an ample 120,000-bottle release."

93 Points - Jeb Dunnuck, March 2021. "The 2015 Brunello is lifted with aromatics of candied cherry, raspberry fruit leather, vanilla, and sweet baking spices. As one would expect with the warmth of the 2015 vintage, the palate is rounder and more generous than the racier 2016. The palate is ripe with fresh cherry, tea leaf, and pleasant orange peel bitterness. It will provide welcome enjoyment over the next 15 years. Drink 2022-2036."

92 Points - Wine & Spirits, Stephanie Johnson, April 2021. "Tarry undertones lend ballast to the juicy red-and-black-cherry flavors, brightened by a hint of orange peel. The wine finishes on lingering spice notes."

91 Points - Vinous, Eric Guido, May 2020. "The 2015 Val di Suga Brunello di Montalcino is spicy and intense, leading off with dried cherries, cedar spice box, savory herbs and dusty rose. Silky, almost creamy textures flood the palate with ripe red and black fruits, contrasting saline minerals with cooling acids, as fine tannins slowly settle upon the senses. The finish is long and structured, mixing youthful tension with pretty inner florals, yet the best is yet to come with medium-term cellaring."