2017 Brunello di Montalcino, Colombaiolo, Tassi, Tuscany, Italy

2017 Brunello di Montalcino, Colombaiolo, Tassi, Tuscany, Italy

Product: 20178150211
James Suckling98/100
Decanter91/100
Eric Guido, Vinous93/100
Prices start from £116.00 per bottle (75cl). Buying options
2017 Brunello di Montalcino, Colombaiolo, Tassi, Tuscany, Italy

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Description

This magnificent single vineyard sits at 300 metres’ altitude. The soils are laced with the same calcareous limestone used to build the nearby abbey, giving the wine salinity. Long fermentation and maceration in mixed Slavonian oak botti was followed by 28 months’ maturation. The wine is generous and appealing, with smoky depth, modern gloss, spice and vibrant minerality.

Drink 2024 - 2034

Davy Żyw, Senior Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd (Feb 2022)

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Critics reviews
James Suckling98/100
The aromas and perfumes of cherries, dried flowers and hints of pecans are very alluring. Full-bodied with layers of fruit and ripe tannins, but very fine textured. Lots of cedar and sandalwood character. Savory finish. Drink or hold.

James Suckling, jamessuckling.com (November 2021) Read more
Decanter91/100
The second vintage of this single-vineyard bottling, Colombaio hails from a small, southeast-facing plot planted in 2000. While not as seductive and outgoing as the 2016, the 2017 does demonstrate some of the exotic cocoa notes and enveloping texture that seems to characterise this wine. Crushed stone, iron and flowery herbs accent the palate. It's surprisingly modest in alcohol and the structure is gentle. What this lacks in profundity, it makes up for in personality and drinkability. Drinking Window 2023 – 2028.

Michaela Morris, Decanter (November 2021) Read more
Eric Guido, Vinous93/100
A darkly alluring mix of crushed stone and black cherries is complemented by sweet pipe tobacco and hints of cedar as the 2017 Brunello di Montalcino Colombaio blossoms in the glass. This is surprisingly delicate in feel yet salty to the core, featuring a savory mix of woodland berries contrasted by hints of sour citrus. It tapers off structured, holding its power in reserve, as hints of mocha and lavender slowly fade. The Colombaio will take some time to fully blossom, but it will be time well spent.

Eric Guido, vinous.com (December 2021) Read more

About this WINE
Tassi

Tassi

The Tassi family have deep roots in Montalcino. They have a legacy of working the vineyards of Biondi Santi and then as beekeepers, before turning their attention back to wine. Owner Fabio Tassi is a restaurateur, running the town’s flagship Drogheria Franci restaurant, and he owns its most prolific wine shop. His exposure to, and understanding of, Brunello’s wines, vintages and vineyards are greater than most – as are his relationships with many of the great winemaking families of Italy.

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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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