Home Wine Portfolio Our Story Locate Our Wines News and Events Contact The Best Brunelli! Vinous On San Carlo, Pietroso, Solaria Apr 17, 2021 Our partners in Brunello di Montalcino are on a roll. From Eric Guido’s Nov 2020 report at Vinous, here are new Sangiovese wines from the landmark 2016 vintage! First, San Carlo. Eric has some great things to say about our micro-producer and partner near Tavernelle, and it’s clear that this third-generation estate is at the top of its game today! SAN CARLO “Third-generation winemaker Gemma Marcucci tends to less than three-and-a-half hectares of vines, many of which were planted by her grandfather in 1974 … Although very small in production, these wines are big in character. They are evidence that small yet high-quality, under-the-radar winemaking is still alive and well in Montalcino.” 2018 San Carlo Rosso di Montalcino The 2018 Rosso di Montalcino has an old-school and earthy appeal that keeps you at the edge of the glass. Crushed black cherries mix with brown spice, sage, leather and hints of animal musk, making for a slightly rustic yet captivating bouquet. It’s silky with ripe black and red fruits before giving way to salty minerals, all framed nicely by juicy acids with just a hint of gentle tannins. Purple florals resonate through the long finish, cast over a subtle twang of spiced citrus. San Carlo packed a ton of character into their 2018 Rosso di Montalcino. — Eric Guido 2016 San Carlo Brunello di Montalcino The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino is savory, dark and almost animalistic, with blackberries and currants giving way to crushed stone, licorice and smoked meats. It’s silky in texture, with depths of spicy black fruits complemented by hints of sour citrus and stimulating acids. There’s so much to like here, as residual acids keep the experience fresh in spite of grippy tannins and youthful restraint. It’s briary at times yet sapid, salty and unbelievably persistent. San Carlo really knocked this one out of the park. The 2016 spent three years in 30-hectoliter Slavonian oak barrels and one year in bottle before release. — Eric Guido 2015 San Carlo Brunello di Montalcino Riserva The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is spicy and intense with a wave of crushed black cherries, minty herbs, shaved cedar, leather and hints of animal musk. The textures are silky, almost fleshy at first; yet tension builds quickly, with tart red and black berries giving way to salty minerals and a layer of grippy tannin. Structured and youthfully dry, with a cooling freshness that lends early appeal, as this finishes savory with a hint of salted licorice. The Riserva is always released late, following three and a half years of refining in five-hectoliter Slavonian oak barrels and another year in bottle. — Eric Guido Next up is the talented Patrizia Cencioni at Solaria. Female owned and run, Solaria represents two generations of talent in Patrizia and her daughters, whose natural talents have turned this small estate into an up-and-coming star. Just how good is 2016 in Montalcino? From Eric Guido at Vinous : “These are wines that capture your imagination; and no matter how youthfully tense they are today, you simply can’t help but revisit a glass over and over again; because in many cases, the aromatics alone are intoxicating. I frankly cannot remember the last time I tasted young wines from Montalcino that possessed such symmetry from start to finish.” SOLARIA 2019 Patrizia Cencioni – Solaria Rosso di Montalcino The 2019 Rosso di Montalcino is understated and coy. With swirling the wine releases dried strawberry and rose nuances and hints of cedary spice. Its silky textures soothe, contrasted by tart red and black wild berries, savory herbs and brisk, almost-salty acids. Structured, concentrated and sapid, there’s simply so much going on here, yet all the while this remains wonderfully harmonious. This reminds me more of a young Brunello than a Rosso. Short-term cellaring should help unlock further aromatic depths, at which point the 2019 will be the total package. — Eric Guido 2018 Patrizia Cencioni – Solaria Rosso di Montalcino The 2018 Rosso di Montalcino takes some time to open up in the glass, slowly evolving to show floral-laced cherry, sage and white smoke. It’s a soft and pliant expression, boasting a pure display of red fruits and herbs, as salty minerals and hints of tannin settle upon the senses. Inner violet tones resonate through the lightly structured finale … incredibly pretty and balanced … — Eric Guido 2016 Patrizia Cencioni – Solaria Brunello di Montalcino The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino holds your attention with a gorgeous bouquet of lavender giving way to cherry, blackberries, earthy minerals and white smoke. This is dark in character and silky in feel with a savory, almost-salty display of polished black fruits and minerals. Brisk acids provide grip and lend a cheek-puckering tension. Fine tannins add to the 2016’s already-youthful poise, yet they don’t get in the way. A mix of sweet violet florals and lingering ripe fruit satiate the palate. I love the balance here. The 2016 almost tricks you into thinking that it doesn’t need time in the cellar to show its best. But don’t be fooled; this will only get better with time.– Eric Guido 2015 Patrizia Cencioni – Solaria Brunello di Montalcino Dark bright red. Red cherry, medicinal herbs, chamomile greet the nose. Then rich round and suave, but with mounting youthfully peppery tannins and spicy, savory and red fruit flavors on the long chewy finish. — Ian D’Agata And here are reviews for our partners Pietroso, yet another family Brunello micro-domaine turning out suave and seductive Sangiovese wines. PIETROSO 2018 Pietroso Rosso di Montalcino Bright medium red. Cherry, flowers and flint aromas are complicated by notes of iron and herbs. A touch austere on entry but develops sweet red berry character in the middle palate and offers good clarity and cut. Finishes with rising sweetness and a note of welcomed smoky minerality. – Ian d’Agata 2016 Pietroso Brunello di Montalcino The bouquet of 2016 Pietroso Brunello di Montalcino is seductive, blending ripe cherries with autumnal spices, hints of rosemary and white smoke. It’s soft and enveloping, with a fleshy feel to its ripe red berries, offset by cooling minerals and a twang of sour citrus. This finishes structured yet energetic, with pretty inner florals resonating over a tug of grippy tannins. — Eric Guido ← The Top of the Top: Vacheron Sancerre Decanter's "Standout" Chianti Classico Producers → Recent Posts Murgo Etna Rosso: Top Value Brand of 2021, Wine & Spirits Praise For Musto Carmelitano New Releases Valgiano’s Palistorti Rosso Is “Fun and Delicious” Great Marks For 2019 Barraud at Wine Advocate Dureuil Retrospective: The Glory of Old-Vine ‘Meix Cadot’ Summer Is The Time for Excellent Rosato Decanter’s “Standout” Chianti Classico Producers Our Portfolio French Selections Italian Selections Archives August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 September 2020 June 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 February 2019 January 2019 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 July 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 November 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 Copyright © 2021 North Berkeley Imports | Terms and Conditions