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2004 Uccelliera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva

Purchased on release or direct from winery; Removed from a temperature and humidity controlled subterranean and alarmed cellar built in 1993

Ends Sunday, 7pm Pacific

RATINGS

98Wine Spectator

Asphalt and tar on the nose, with lots of dried dark fruits. Full and very powerful, with layers of chewy tannins and masses of fruit. Really needs time to mellow and come together. But it's all there. A blockbuster. Balanced and fabulous.

96The Wine Advocate

...deep sensual wine imbued with generous layers of ripe dark fruit that emerge from its medium to full-bodied frame. This gorgeous, expressive Brunello turns richer and weightier in the glass as the fruit begins to emerge...

95Wine Enthusiast

Uccelliera is among an elite group that represents the best of the best of Montalcino. This gorgeous wine is intense and generous with nice concentration and layered aromas of cherry, blackberry, spice, blackberry and plum...

92Vinous / IWC

Subtle aromas of black cherry, tarragon, mint and fresh fennel, complicated by a woodsy nuance. Sweet, supple and suave, with rich red cherry, black plum and mocha flavors. Becomes more spicy and brisk with air...

17Jancis Robinson

Opaque, deep ruby. Quite plummy, cherry, herb liqueur and orange peel. Perhaps only a touch oxidative. Surprisingly lean, tight palate, but very long. Will need more time. (WS)

PRODUCER

Uccelliera

Uccelliera in Castelnuovo dell’Abate is owned and operated by Andrea Cortonesi. Cortonesi grew up in a farming family and purchased the farm in 1986. On his 15 acres of vineyards he grows Sangiovese for his several Brunellos and a Rosso di Montalcino. Like many Italian viticulturalists, he also grows olive trees for oil. The estate is organic and produces about 60,000 bottles annually. Wine Advocate has noted that “Uccelliera is now without questions one of the handful of top producers in Montalcino.”

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

2004 Uccelliera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva