2010 Brunello di Montalcino, CastelGiocondo, Frescobaldi, Tuscany, Italy

2010 Brunello di Montalcino, CastelGiocondo, Frescobaldi, Tuscany, Italy

Product: 20108214599
Prices start from £420.00 per case Buying options
2010 Brunello di Montalcino, CastelGiocondo, Frescobaldi, Tuscany, Italy

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Available by the case In Bond. Pricing excludes duty and VAT, which must be paid separately before delivery. Storage charges apply.
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6 x 75cl bottle
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Description

James Suckling's #1 Wine of the Year for 2015 and awarded 97/100 points. From the phenomenal 2010 vintage, this was described as the "best ever" wine from Castelgiocondo.

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Critics reviews

Antonio Galloni, Vinous93
Dark red cherry, smoke, plum, wild flowers and cedar are some of the notes that flesh out in the 2010 Brunello di Montalcino from Castelgiocondo. Ripe, soft and textured on the palate, the 2010 impresses for its silkiness and early approachability. Sweet floral and spiced notes reappear on the finish, adding considerable lift and perfume. This is a lovely showing from Castelgiocondo and the Frescobaldi family.
Antonio Galloni - Feb-2015 Read more
Wine Advocate94/100
The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino ushers forth a new stylistic chapter in the wines of Marchesi de' Frescobaldi. Gone are those overt oak notes of cinnamon, dark chocolate and moist chewing tobacco. Instead, this fresh and streamlined wine renews its effort to put Sangiovese in prime positioning. The bouquet shows dark cherry, ginger and grilled herb. Instead of immediacy, this wine is engineered for longevity and that comes as a surprise considering that Castelgiocondo has historically been one of the biggest advocates of what is now dubbed "international" Brunello. With the 2010 vintage, this estate goes back to its traditional roots. The wine is young now and needs about five more years to complete its cellar evolution. ..
Monica Larner - Wine Advocate - Feb-2015 Read more
Wine Spectator93/100
This fresh version brims with cherry, mineral, briar and tobacco aromas and flavors. Works toward equilibrium, with solid tannins, and finishes with a mouthwatering impression. Best from 2019 through 2035.
Bruce Sanderson - Wine Spectator - Jun-2015 Read more
James Suckling97/100
Aromas of warm stones, dark fruits and walnuts follow to a full body, soft tannins and a savory finish. This shows ripe fruit and salty undertones that give it a wonderful juiciness. It's dense and tight now but will give so much pleasure in the future. Best ever from here. Drink or hold.
James Suckling - Oct-2015 Read more

About this WINE

Marchesi De Frescobaldi

Marchesi De Frescobaldi

Marchesi di Frescobaldi, one of the oldest Italian wine companies and the largest, is something of a paradox. The company which owns nearly 1000 hectares of vineyard land in Tuscany remains in the control of one family which, while it traces its history back at least seven centuries, has also consistently been at the forefront of the modernisation of the Italian wine industry. The family has been producing wine since 1300 and produces an exemplary range of wines from its estates at Castello di Nipozzano, Pomino and CastelGiocondo.

Tenuta CastelGiocondo is one of the original Brunello estates, originally an ancient stronghold built in 1100. One of the first four properties to produce Brunello di Montalcino in 1800, it has been owned by Frescobaldi since 1989. Named after an ancient castle and a small medieval village to the south-west of Montalcino, CastelGiocondo hosts an ideal terroir for high-quality Sangiovese.

The 151-hectare estate is home to a unique combination of soils, altitudes and microclimates, which allow the grapes to grow with delicacy, balance and harmony. The soils vary by altitude, with clay at 250 metres; well-drained sandstone at 300 metres; and the high-quality galestro soils at 350-450 metres – where the best Sangiovese for the Brunello and Ripe al Convento are grown. While not officially certified, the estate has been farmed organically since 2013, working with the greatest respect for the terroir and land surrounding them.

The Frescobladis` links with the Mondavi family in California have resulted in the joint purchase of a estate in Montalcino adjacent to Castelgiocondo to produce the company's flagship wine - Luce. The Luce site was selected for its potential to produce the very best fruit and there is no compromise in its winemaking or its viticultural care. It represents the very best that the company can produce. The company also produces the Lucetta, a wine from a blend of the very best parcels of fruit from all the company's Tuscany vineyards. Both wines contain Merlot as well as the traditional Sangiovese.

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Brunello di Montalcino

Brunello di Montalcino

Along with Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino is Tuscany's most famous DOCG and the region's boldest expression of Sangiovese. Located 30 miles south of Siena with the hilltop town of Montalcino as its epicentre, its 2,000 hectares of vines are naturally delimited by the Orcia, Asso and Ombrone valleys. Brunello is the local name for the Sangiovese Grosso clone from which Brunello di Montalcino should be made in purezza (ie 100 percent).

The Brunello di Montalcino DOCG has a whale-like shape: at its head, at 661 metres above sea level on ancient, stony galestro soils facing east and southeast lies the town of Montalcino, where the DOC was founded. As you follow the spine south towards the tail, the vineyards lose altitude – those around Colle Sant'Angelo are at 250 metres – while the soils become richer with iron and clay. Further east, in the shadow of the 1,734 metre Mont'Amiata lies the village of Castelnuovo dell'Abate where the vineyards are strewn with a rich mix of galestro, granitic, volcanic, clay and schist soil types.

While Brunello di Montalcino's climate is mildly Mediterranean, thanks to the sea being a mere 20 miles away, the elevation of the vineyards provides an important diurnal temperature variation (ie hot days and cool nights). This benefits the grapes by maintaining acidity levels and extending their ripening time. The howling tramontana wind can also play an important role in drying and concentrating the fruit.

Historically, the zone is one of Tuscany's youngest. First praised in 1550 by Leandro Alberti for the quality of its wines, it was Tenuta Il Greppo who bottled the inaugural Brunello di Montalcino in 1888. By 1929, the region had 925 hectares of vines and 1,243 hectares of mixed crops, while in 1932 it was decreed that only those wines made and bottled within the commune could be labelled as Brunello di Montalcino. Since then, the number of producers has risen from 11 in 1960 to 230 in 2006, while over the same period the vineyards have expanded from 1,000 hectares to 12,000. The region earned its DOC in 1966, and was upgraded to DOCG in 1980.

Brunello di Montalcino cannot be released for sale until five years after the harvest, or six years in the case of Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. During this time the wines should be aged for at least two years in oak, followed by at least four months in bottle (six months for Riservas); maximum yields are 55 hl/ha. 

Rosso di Montalcino is declassified Brunello di Montalcino, released for sale 18 months after the harvest.

Recommended producers: Costanti, Fuligni, Lisini, San Giuseppe, Soldera, Cerbaiona

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Sangiovese

Sangiovese

A black grape widely grown in Central Italy and the main component of Chianti and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano as well as being the sole permitted grape for the famed Brunello di Montalcino.

It is a high yielding, late ripening grape that performs best on well-drained calcareous soils on south-facing hillsides. For years it was blighted by poor clonal selection and massive overcropping - however since the 1980s the quality of Sangiovese-based wines has rocketed upwards and they are now some of the most sought after in the world.

It produces wines with pronounced tannins and acidity, though not always with great depth of colour, and its character can vary from farmyard/leather nuances through to essence of red cherries and plums. In the 1960s the advent of Super Tuscans saw bottlings of 100% Sangiovese wines, as well as the introduction of Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon blends, the most famous being Tignanello.

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