2012 Brunello di Montalcino
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Tasting notes
Castelnuovo dell'Abate. Transparent garnet. Really rather complex nose already. Bonfires and veg. Some transparency of fruit despite the high alcohol level that makes its presence felt only on the very end. Very dry finish. Chestnuts and cabbage. Intense. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Beautifully saturated and dark, the 2012 Brunello di Montalcino offers a distinctively sophisticated personality. There's an air of nobility that is natural to Brunello, but that comes in limited supply in this warm vintage. You definitely get it here. The wine's bouquet offers a compelling medley of dark fruit tones that shift into savory spicy and balsam herb. Those automatic transitions are smooth and seamless. Another nice quality of the wine is that no one element overpowers or overshadows the other. It offers a great sense of balance. This wine has many cards to play and I am confident it will play them well over the next ten years of its evolution.
Tasted blind. Mid ruby with bright bricky rim. Open, red-fruit nose and solid fruit palate. Grainy tannins that are a little demanding right now. Building up in complexity on the finish. (WS)
A very typical Brunello with berry and tobacco character plus hints of cedar. Full-bodied, chewy and tannic. Needs time to soften and come together. Savory wine. Drink in 2019. Nov 2016, www.jamessuckling.com