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2010 Il Palazzone Brunello di Montalcino Riserva

Removed from a temperature and humidity controlled wine storage unit; Purchased upon release; Consignor is original owner

Ends Sunday, 7pm Pacific

RATINGS

95James Suckling

So much sweet berry and currant aromas and flavors here with an underlying volcanic salt character. Full body, savory and chewy yet delicious and lively.

95Wine Enthusiast

Enticing scents of ripe dark-skinned berry, leafy underbrush, chopped herb, dark spice and a toasted note come together on this structured, poised wine. The delicious, full-bodied palate offers layers of juicy black cherry, crushed raspberry, licorice, mint and a blast of orange peel while firm, velvety tannins provide the polished framework. A coffee note closes the lingering finish.

94The Wine Advocate

...fine line between grace and brawn...finessed elegance of the bouquet that emits subtle tones of wild fruit and balsam herb....delineated and well-articulated mouthfeel.

94Wine Spectator

Sweet cherry and strawberry fruit is an even match for the briar and tobacco notes and granular tannins in this sleek, intense red. Picks up a mineral element and finishes with a vibrant, long aftertaste.

91.1CellarTracker

15.5Jancis Robinson

PRODUCER

Il Palazzone

Il Palazzone is a new wine estate, especially by Italian standards. It was started in 2000 when New Yorker Richard Parsons purchased the property on the northwest slopes of Montalcino and started producing wine. He brought on Maurizio Castelli as consulting winemaker. The estate makes Brunello di Montalcino and two other reds, including a Super Tuscan blend. The wines have earned ratings in the low-90s, and compliments for having excellent nuance and balance.

REGION

Italy, Tuscany, Brunello di Montalcino

Brunello di Montalcino is regarded as one of Italy’s best appellations. Located in south central Tuscany below Chianti, the wines of Brunello di Montalcino DOCG are made of a Sangiovese clone called “brunello,” which means “little dark one,” a reference to the brown tones in the skin of the grape. Unlike some Tuscan appellations that allow other grapes to be blended with Sangiovese, Brunello di Montalcino is entirely Sangiovese. Montalcino itself is a picturesque, hill-top town not especially well known for wine production until the mid-19th century, when a local vineyard owner isolated the brunello clone and planted it. Other growers followed suit. Nevertheless it wasn’t until 1970s that wine enthusiasts started paying attention to Brunello di Montalcino, which by then was becoming an outstanding wine. Today there are 120 estates in the DOCG, up from about 25 estates in 1975. Brunellos in general are bigger, darker, more tannic and more powerful wines than Chiantis or most other Sangioveses. By law they must be aged for four years, and two of those years must be in wooden barrels.

VINTAGE

2010 Il Palazzone Brunello di Montalcino Riserva