Product information

Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino 2018

Sangiovese from Tuscany, Montalcino, Italy

$650

$630ea in any 3+
$610ea in any 6+
Closure: Cork
There is something here that takes Sangiovese to a special place, the perfume, the lovely linear shape of fruit, that deceptive depth and length that builds!

Description

Poggio di Sotto hits it out the ballpark once again with an extremely elegant interpretation that shows the incredible depth and nuance Sangiovese can achieve, even in an uneven vintage such as this. The certified organic 2018 Brunello di Montalcino reveals a dark ruby hue and mid-weight concentration. Indeed, the wine is lighter and brighter than most, despite Brunello’s mandatory five years of aging before its commercial release. The tannins are silky and melt over the palate. Along the way, the wine offers high notes of red cherry, cassis and blue flower. This release carries a very high price tag, but your high expectations will be met.

Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate 96+, EG 94

My thoughts on the 2015 to give you an idea of style:

This my friends this is a thing of beauty! Frankly, my tasting budget is blown, big time! I had to try this.

Brunello has such a spectrum of styles from the divine, elegant, and, graceful to the overblown clumsy monsters. I typically play on the side of elegance and into the middle of the spectrum. Poggio di Sotto’s is undoubtedly on the elegant side.

So, Trembles rocks up with a box. We sit, we pour, we proceed to shoot the s@#t. Then that moment after swirling the vino around for a couple of minutes, I smell. That little spark ignites. I’m looking at more than your average Sangio. The conversation shifts from the 123 varieties of heirloom tomatoes he’s planted to a glass full of happiness.

There is something here that takes Sangiovese to a special place, the perfume, the lovely linear shape of fruit, that deceptive depth and length that builds. Here we see a Brunello at 13.5% where many from 2015 are well north of 15%. As expected the pieces fall into place. Low yield, meticulous vineyard work combine to offer fruit with flavour ripeness at much lower sugar levels affording the opportunity to create such an elegant personality in the wine. The superfine tannins have a lovely linear line to them.

I have seen wines like this before. Patience will see them undergo a metamorphosis from a thing of beauty to one of sophistication with an additional level of intrigue as the truffles, forest, subtle generosity of age builds.

Note to self: Review tasting budget!

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Check out all of the wines by Poggio di Sotto

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

About Poggio di Sotto

Established in 1989, Poggio di Sotto is known in Montalcino for its unique ecological niche of old Sangiovese vineyards (more than 50 years old). Together with the University of Florence 120 unique biotypes of Sangiovese were discovered. This biodiversity is the cornerstone of the unique brightness and complexity that is found in Poggio di Sotto wines and the leader of its distinctive style. Since its foundation, the estate has become famous for the high quality of the Sangiovese that it cultivates and has quickly achieved cult status.

The estate is in Castelnuovo dell’Abate in the southern part of the region. Although the climate here is warmer than other communes within Montalcino, the hot sea breezes from the Mediterranean are blocked by Monte Amiata and the Ombrone river generates cooling breezes at night.

Biodynamic viticulture, high vine density, extremely low yields and extended cask ageing combine to produce what many refer to as ‘the Burgundy of Brunello’. Piero had an uncompromising commitment to Sangiovese in purezza and enthusiastically supported the creation of sub zones for Montalcino, saying “I would love for Castelnuovo dell’Abate to become an official sub-appellation so consumers can know that this Brunello is made in one of the sunniest parts of Montalcino where Sangiovese matures perfectly”.

The wines are characteristically light in colour, with complex aromas of red berry fruit, earth, leather and tobacco. Firm acidity and silky yet substantial tannins give the wine a long-lasting flavour.

In 2011, with no descendants, Piero sold his beloved estate to Claudio Tipa of nearby Colle Massari. Claudio didnt change a thing and the wines continue to be amongst Italy’s, and the world’s, finest.

The wines are, however, extremely limited and we recommend looking out for the new releases on our Italy Direct ex ship offers.


 

It took a while for collectors to feel comfortable with the new releases after Piero Palmucci sold the iconic Poggio di Sotto property to Claudio Tipa, owner of ColleMassari and Grattamacco, in 2011. You could count me in the skeptical camp for years, while being told that very little would be changed in the vineyards and winery, yet tasting new releases without being overly impressed. However, I can now firmly say, having recently tasted the 2010 and 2013 Brunello Riservas, and now the 2015 Brunello, that Poggio di Sotto is officially back. We really shouldn’t be surprised, as Palmucci put his heart and soul into identifying this esteemed terroir in Castelnuovo dell’Abate, and then planting the perfect clones of Sangiovese to take full advantage of it. This continues to be one of the most Burgundian of all Brunellos, and worthy of it’s lofty price.

Vinous

In the Vineyard

Made from vineyards located at 200, 300 and 450 metres above sea level with different exposures. The area is close to Castelnuovo dell’Abate, in the valley of the Orcia river. Grapes are hand picked after a careful selection. The yield is 3 – 3,5 tons per hectare this is very low. Yields are normally around 5T+ for exceptional Brunello.

In the Winery

This Brunello di Montalcino is made with 100% Sangiovese Grosso and the fermentation is spontaneous and made in 70 hl oak casks with prolonged maceration and pumping over.

After the malolactic fermentation, the wine ages for 40 months in 30 hl oak casks plus an additional 12 months in bottle.

Below you see the large barrels, botti, in the winery. A quince resting on the door of a botti. Vintage is quince season! For the eagle eye a Bucher Vaslin Delt Oscillys destemmer. This is the benchmark destemmer for destemming bunches and keeping berries whole. This allows the winemaker to perform incredibly gentle whole berry ferments with infinite control of tannin extraction. If you want to make Burgundian style Brunello this is essential.

Vintage 2017

Eric Guido of Vinous had this to say:

Tasting and talking with Luca Marrone, the Chief winemaker for ColleMassari Wine Estates, which includes Poggio di Sotto and Tenuta San Giorgio, is always an eye-opening and educational experience. This is a man that oversees a number of top properties throughout Tuscany, and yet is always dialed into the intricacies of each vintage and each wine throughout all of them. Not only is he happy to offer up his successes for critique, but also to discuss his possible failures. However, in the case of the recent vintage (2017) at both Poggio di Sotto and Tenuta San Giorgio, even with all of its challenges, there is only success to speak of, but it came at a high price. First and foremost was the work in the vineyards, such as no deleafing, but instead, training the canopies to shade the fruit (a practice you’ll see many forward-thinking producers using in Montalcino these days), as well as green harvest of inferior berries. The extreme heat and dry conditions forced an early first harvest, starting on August 29th, to avoid further dehydration and adding overripe characteristics to the finished wine. Keep in mind that while emergency irrigation is permitted here, it is a practice that Poggio di Sotto refuses to use.

Luckily, temperatures dropped in early September, which also brought some refreshing precipitation. This allowed the remaining fruit to ripen at a more balanced pace, and although the harvest was extended to the 27th of September, it still resulted in a total loss of 40% after selection of the fruit was completed. Even so, the challenges presented to the winemaking team were far from over. Due to the thicker skins and less juice within the early-harvested berries, maceration times were lessened to two weeks, while the later-harvested fruit was able to enjoy a full three weeks. Pump-overs were both lessened and shortened, and, in what seems to be a repeating theme with many of the more successful wines of the vintage, the aging in wood was decreased; in this case, by an entire year.

The 2017 Brunello di Montalcino of both Poggio di Sotto and Tenuta San Giorgio are testaments to the practice of buying the producer over the vintage. Both wines are completely unique yet completely successful, and they should not be passed up by fans of these estates and their styles. As for the future, let’s just say that Luca Marrone has some truly exciting vintages cooking up in the cellar as we speak. I am fully confident in saying that the legacy of Poggio di Sotto is in good hands. 


Where in the World is Poggio di Sotto?

Poggio di Sotto is Montalcino, Tuscany. There main vineyards are on the exceptional terroirs of Montosoli and Canalichhio Crus. The winery has a number of individual sub-plots in each Cru.

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96+ Points

Poggio di Sotto hits it out the ballpark once again with an extremely elegant interpretation that shows the incredible depth and nuance Sangiovese can achieve, even in an uneven vintage such as this. The certified organic 2018 Brunello di Montalcino reveals a dark ruby hue and mid-weight concentration. Indeed, the wine is lighter and brighter than most, despite Brunello's mandatory five years of aging before its commercial release. The tannins are silky and melt over the palate. Along the way, the wine offers high notes of red cherry, cassis and blue flower. This release carries a very high price tag, but your high expectations will be met.

Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate

Where in the world does the magic happen?

Poggio di Sotto, Montalcino, Province of Siena, Italy

Montalcino
Tuscany
Italy