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![Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2017 (BIO)]()
Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2017 (BIO)
The Brunello from Le Chiuse is made from almost 30-year-old vines from an eight-hectare plot of calcareous clay. As soon as you pour the wine, you notice that it is bursting with energy and temperament. This is also noticeable in the crisp fruit, reminiscent of wild berries, cassis and sour cherries. These red fruit flavours are framed by light smoke, tar, potting soil, blue flowers and crushed minerals or limestone. This is an extremely balanced wine that will increase in elegance and finesse with further bottle ageing. SUPERIORE.DE
"Expressive, elegant herbal spice, sage, sandalwood, fine minty style, blueberry, some musk, extremely delicate nose; powerful, fine, noble cocoa note, dense but not fat, clayey texture, very present but not heavy." Meinigers Sommelier
"Mid ruby. Brooding, sweet, perfumed fruit with a savoury hint. Ripe and concentrated with lots of juicy, supple fruit while the grainy tannins give it a complex edge." Jancis Robinson
"Project in strict organic management, spontaneous fermentations, for a wine with a unique character, as well as beautiful cleanliness. Refined nose, touches of red plum, laurel and floral, gardenia, with hints of juniper. The mouthfeel is taut and juicy, the tannins sapid, the finish balsamic." Luca Gardini
"This shows some balance and polish for a 2017, with plenty of integrated and nicely chewy tannins. The ripe-cherry, bark and light dry-earth character comes through clearly. Give it time to soften, but already attractive." James Suckling
"Offers key themes of black cherry, blackberry and violet aromas and flavors, with mineral, tobacco and bitter almond accents. Solidly built, with dense tannins expanding on the finish. Overall, there is a sense of elegance here, with a silkiness and persistence." Wine Spectator
"Wild herbs, crushed pomegranates, dusty rose and savory spice define the wildly exotic 2017 Brunello di Montalcino. Its textures are silky and pliant, but with a vibrant streak of acidity and mineral tones that add a more grippy yet jovial feel, as potent red fruits and lavender tones slowly saturate toward the close. Fine tannins come forward through the medium-length finale, as this tapers off to hints of sour citrus, rose and clove." Vinous
"Lorenzo Magnelli opted to pick early to avoid opulence in 2017. Along with gentler punch-downs and fewer pump-overs, he aged the wine for less time in wood – 30 months rather than 36 – as he felt it didn’t need too much oxygen. Vibrancy of expression is palpable in the tangle of spices, woodland berries, earthy mushroom and forest growth. The palate is sturdy but not aggressive as well-composed tannins sweep across the palate." Decanter
"The Le Chiuse 2017 Brunello di Montalcino (made with certified organic fruit) exhibits a silky and elegant profile that only a handful of estates in the appellation achieve with consistency. This is the desired direction of Brunello as a whole I believe, and it's nice to see these successful results in a difficult, hot vintage such as 2017. The wine is silky and glossy on the palate with wildflowers, berry and forest floor." Wine Advocate
"One of the best wines of the vintage, this stunner opens with compelling aromas of new leather, forest floor, perfumed berry and menthol. Full-bodied and elegantly structured, the delicious palate delivers crushed raspberry, ripe Marasca cherry, baking spice and licorice set against firm, refined tannins. It boasts remarkable freshness and balance for the hot vintage." Wine Enthusiast
read more- Grape Variety: 100% Sangiovese
- Cultivation: biological
- Expansion: 36 months 20 hl oak barrel
- Filtration: yes
- Alcohol content: 14,50 % vol
- Serving temperature: 18‑20 °C
- Storage potential: 2045+
- Closure: natural cork
- Food recommendations
grilled dishes, matured cheese - Total extract: 30,90 g/l
- Total acidity: 5,22 g/l
- Residual sugar: <1,00 g/l
- Sulfite: 59 mg/l
- pH value: 3,55
- Eco-Control-No.: IT‑BIO‑015
- Allergens
contains sulphites
stored air-conditioned29702117 · 0,75 l · 93,32 €/l · Price (DE) incl. VAT, excl. Shippingavailable immediately
Hardly any other Tuscan winery is as closely related to the founding fathers of Brunello di Montalcino as the small business of Simonetta Valiani and her husband Nicolò Magnelli. Le Chiuse is located south of Montalcino between the villages of Montosoli and Canalicchi and belonged to the aristocratic Biondi-Santi family from the 18th century onwards, whose Sangiovese wine made history in 1888 as the very first Brunello di Montalcino.
Strictly speaking, Simonetta is the niece of Franco Biondi-Santi, the last representative of this Tuscan wine dynasty, who had a special knack for single-varietal Sangiovese wines. In his opinion, the vineyards of Le Chiuse were among the best situated in the whole of Montalcino, which is why he had leased Simonetta's vineyards for the production of his legendary and long-lived Brunello Riserva wines for many years.
Today, the Sangiovese Grosso vines still ripen at an altitude of 350 metres on these very north/northeast slopes of Montalcino, from which the Biondi-Santi Riserva was once produced. In the meantime, Simonetta presses her own refined Brunello di Montalcino and the no less impressive Riserva DIECIANNI from these seven hectares, while the vines for her magnificent, cherry-fruited Rosso di Montalcino ripen on the south-eastern side of the hill.
With such a noble pedigree, the stage is already set for excellent wine production, which is why we were even more impressed that Simonetta, at the age of only 26, wanted to raise her bar even higher and initiated an important turnaround in the family business. With the conversion to organic viticulture techniques, rigorous yield reductions and targeted grape selection, the modest winemaker and her husband Nicolò have been producing phenomenal wines since 1992, to which the Montalcino region owes its excellent reputation.
"At the beginning it was difficult and very exhausting, especially with three children. But I was still so passionate about it," says the winemaker in conversation, who inherited her enthusiasm for wine from her grandfather Tancredi, Franco's father. Following his traditional idea, Simonetta vinifies without commercial yeasts and ages her Rosso di Montalcino for 12, the Brunello for 36 and the Riserva for a whole 48 months in large Slavonian oak barrels.
"Today, my son works with me at the winery, which means that I have managed to pass on to him the passion for my work," she adds with a smile. Simonetta is definitely a driving force in the top class of Montalcino, which she proves to us and the world's most renowned wine critics every year anew with her multi-layered Sangiovese wines. SUPERIORE.DE
Facts
- Year of foundation: 1987
- Owner: Simonetta Valiani Biondi-Santi
- Oenologist: Valentino Ciarla
- Annual production: approx. 32,000 bottles
- Vineyard area: approx. 8 hectares
- Organic viticulture (not certified)