Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona - Brunello di Montalcino DOCG - Cru Pianrosso - 2018

97/100 points Cru Pianrosso Brunello from Piccolomini from the southern part of the Brunello DOCG, Castelnuovo dell'Abate.

Ruby red wine with garnet glints. In the nose balsamic, spicy sensations, eucalyptus, cloves, berries, bay leaves, dried violets and tobacco. In the mouth the wine is full, beautifully layered, warm, with velvety tannins in the long persistent warm finish.

The Pianrosso vineyard of Piccolomini, 11.7 ha, is located in the southern part of the Brunello DOCG. The soil type is mainly marl. The vineyard is located at an altitude of 240 to 360 meters. The grapes are picked by hand in September and carefully selected for quality and then softly pressed. Fermentation takes place in large steel vats, under a controlled temperature. The must is gently pumped around several times a day. The further maturation of the wine takes place in Slavonian oak barrels of 20 to 62 hl. for a period of 24 months. After this, the wine is bottled. In the bottle, the wine refines for a period of 8 months.

A nice wine/food combination for this Cru Pianrosso Brunello is steak Fiorentina.

About Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona
The winery was founded in 1985 and is located in the southern part of the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, in Castelnuovo dell'Abate. In total, the company has 55 hectares of vineyards. The owners of the company are Paolo and Lucia Bianchini.

97/100 James Suckling

This is so complex, with lifting citrus and herb undertones to the blue and red berry fruit. Thyme, sage and lavender, with mocha and clove, too. Full-bodied, full of depth and intensity, with firm yet seamless tannins. Evolves to espresso. Balanced, powerful and very long. Try after 2025.

96/100 Robert Parker

A special single-vineyard wine with origins in one of the more remote, wild and beautiful corners of Montalcino, this is one of the true treats of the appellation. The Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Pianrosso opens to a medium-rich appearance and vibrant color saturation. Sangiovese can lose its color quickly, but it remains beautifully intact here. Sweet cherry, redcurrant, spice, blue flower, balsam herb and orange peel are neatly woven together to create this balanced wine. Fruit is sourced from across a 11.7-hectare vineyard with schistous galestro soils.