2015 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino
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Tasting notes
Altesino's 2015 Brunello di Montalcino offers a rich yet classic expression of Sangiovese fruit, showing ripe red berries coated in dusty earth tones, with hints of leather and dried florals completing the picture. On the palate, brisk acids frame silky textures, creating a polished expression of red and black fruits, savory spice and saline-minerals. The finish is long yet fresh, as cooling mint and licorice tones carry remnants of red berry fruit hovering above a core of fine tannins.
Critic scores
Alistair Cooper MW, jancisrobinson.com
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Sweet fruit nose that is already showing a little development. Round palate with tangy acidity, and then quite a lot of drying tannins. (WS)
The Altesino 2015 Brunello di Montalcino shows beautiful depth and latitude, with broad fruit aromas of dark cherry and cassis that recall the warmth and golden sunlight of the vintage. The wine is deceivingly streamlined in terms of mouthfeel, but that slim and buttoned-down backbone supports a broad range of flavors and sensations, from lavender essence and camphor ash to moist soil and toasted spice. All of these elements are delivered with impressive harmony and unity, and I expect that this wine will continue on a slow, steady and satisfying aging trajectory over the next 10 years or more. Fruit is sourced from across 21 hectares of vines with tufaceous limestone soils and Alberese rock, which contributes to the freshness and balanced structure of the wine. The wine was bottled in June 2019 (with 150,000 bottles made), and this wine was released in January 2020.
Pale crimson. Savoury and meaty nose, firm but accessible palate. Tannins are resolving nicely, clove spice on the finish with generous acidity. Quite light and attractive. (AC)
About the producer
Altesino is one of the top producers in Brunello di Montalcino. The estate is famous for bottling the first separate Cru from the Montosoli hill, which has since become widely recognised for its distinct, elegant style of Brunello.