Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino 2018 (750ml)

 

Rated 96+ Points by Vinous

 

Impressing from the first tilt of the glass, the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino makes itself known, with a heady burst of exotic spice and crushed ashen stone giving way to dried black cherries and grilled herbs.  This combines the energy of the vintage with the dark balsamic-tinged fruits of Montalcino’s southern reaches, as zesty acidity maintains balance throughout, and flinty minerals saturate toward the close.  It finishes long, savory and structured, yet its tannins are more rounded than anticipated, creating both a classic feel, but also leaving a mouthwatering sensation that tricks the taster back to the glass for more.  Easily one of the top wines of the vintage, the 2018 is not to be missed.  Eric Guido

 

Rated 94 Points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

 

The Il Poggione 2018 Brunello di Montalcino reveals a dark and savory character with more fruit weight and concentration than you might find in many of its peers.  This wine shows a dense center of gravity that is padded with dark cherry, blackberry, toasted spice, mahogany smoked meat and tilled earth.  Despite the robust aromas, this Sangiovese is actually quite streamlined and polished in texture.  The tannins are soft and veering toward accessibility.  This is an ambitious production of 200,000 bottles.  The estate's Riserva Vigna Paganelli was not made in 2018, so fruit from that wine went here instead.

 

Rated 94 Points by James Suckling

 

This is a flavorful, layered Brunello with aromas of fresh and sour cherries, plums, bay leaves, rosemary and olives.  Cloves and licorice, too.  It’s medium-to-full-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins.  Sleek and well-integrated, with a lengthy and deliciously savory finish.

 

Rated 94 Points by Wine Spectator

 

The dense structure sets the pace for this red, with cherry, raspberry, mint and tar flavors that are appealing and expressive.  Reveals rose hip, orange peel and earth details as this winds down on the long, expansive aftertaste.  Built for the long term.  Best from 2026 through 2046.

 

Rated 94 Points by Jeb Dunnuck

 

Layers of black cherry and spice emerge in the 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino along with hints of polished leather, sassafras, and cedar.  It is medium to full-bodied, though it remains somewhat compact and coiled with tension and energy on the palate, and offers red berries, orange peel, clove, and tightly wound tannins throughout.  Give it another couple of years in the cellar and drink 2025-2040.

 

Rated 92 Points by Decanter

 

This large and historic property in Montalcino’s southwest draws upon 140 hectares of estate vineyards to deliver a very complete and satisfying Brunello.  A smoky introduction leads to leather and tobacco nuances which repeat on the palate.  The 2018 is chock full of flavour as cherry and baking spice join in.  It feels midweight but there is plenty of stuffing with a vigorous chewiness contributing positively to the gratifying mouthfeel.

 

Tenuta Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino 2018

 

Brunello is the prince of Montalcino wines, produced exclusively from Sangiovese grapes picked by hand from the oldest vines in the farm. 

 

After a careful fermentation at controlled temperature, Tenuta Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino is aged in French oak barrels. 

 

After being aged in wood, the wine is bottle aged: this is an essential process in guaranteeing the pleasantness and the complexity that have made the Brunello di Montalcino world-famous.

 

Winemaker Notes

 

Ruby red in color, with a very intense, persistent nose and with red fruit notes.  Warm, balanced flavor with velvet-smooth tannins.  Long-lasting aroma.

 

Food Pairings

 

Drink with red meats, game, and mature cheeses.

 

Wine Information

 

Wine:  Brunello di Montalcino

 

Varietal:  100% Sangiovese

 

Vintage:  2018

 

Alcohol:  14.50%

 

Source:  The winery's oldest vineyards, planted between 150 and 450 metres (490 - 1475 ft) above sea level.

 

Vine Training System:  Cordon spur and "doppio capovolto".

 

Harvest:  By hand

 

Vinification:  15 - 20 days "submerged cap" fermentation in stainless steel tanks with indigenous yeasts at a controlled temperature 25/28 °C (77/82 F).  Malolactic fermentation in stainless steel.

 

Aging:  36 months in large French oak barrels (30 - 50 hl or 872 -1373 Gallon) followed by a long bottle aging.

 

 

Tenuta Il Poggione

 

Lavinio Franceschi, Land Owner from Florence, decided to visit the area after hearing the stories from a shepherd, who brought his herds around Montalcino during the winter.  He fell so much in love with the landscape and the people who lived in the area that he decided to buy land and establish a farm.

 

Generation after generation, many resources were spent on research for quality, clonal selections, winemaking and aging techniques, and also by building a modern winery for the standards at that time.

 

Il Poggione was one of the first wineries to market the Brunello di Montalcino wine as early as the 1900’s, and one of the founding members of the Brunello di Montalcino Consortium.

 

After more than a Century, Lavinio Franceschi’s work is still a fundamental point of reference for his successors, Leopoldo and Livia, who continue to develop the business with that same dedication and unrelenting passion, combining the ancient skills of winemaking crafts and tradition with the latest, most innovative techniques.

 

 

Rated 94 Points by Wine Spectator

 

The dense structure sets the pace for this red, with cherry, raspberry, mint and tar flavors that are appealing and expressive.  Reveals rose hip, orange peel and earth details as this winds down on the long, expansive aftertaste.  Built for the long term.  Best from 2026 through 2046.