2018 Brunello di Montalcino Pelagrilli
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Tasting notes
In an elegantly designed bottle, the Siro Pacenti 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Pelagrilli delivers lots of dark fruit and blackberry, and the quality of the fruit is bold, fresh and still very much alive. The house style prizes concentration and oak spice, but the detailed-minded winemaking is impeccable. The wine is structured and firm and stands apart in a crowd, but alas, it does show an unfortunate 15% alcohol content. This is a 23,000-bottle release.
Critic scores
Average Score
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
There’s something almost animalistic about the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Pelagrilli, which I’m finding quite appealing. Wild blueberries, crushed violets, allspice, spiced orange rinds and hints of cocoa can all be found in the glass. The clay soils of the area impart a velvety-smooth and undeniably elegant feel, with a dense textural wave of ripe dark red fruits that coats the palate in concentration, complemented by sweet inner herbal tones and hints of lavender. Like the proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove, the 2018 reveals a massive wall of fine-grained tannins through the finish, leaving only nuances of sour citrus and currants to linger. This untamed beast of a Brunello will require extensive cellaring to reveal all of its charms. Of note, there will be no Riserva PS bottled in this vintage, and so all of that juice was used to bolster the Pelagrilli and the Rosso.
Deep ruby with orange tinges. Savoury and minerally, but still a little subdued. Dark, supple, ripe fruit with tasty, gravelly tannins and lots of depth. Ready now. (WS)