Robert Parker 92 points - The 2003 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Pianrosso is made from the estate’s oldest vineyards. It is vinified along the same line as the regular bottling, but gets a few additional months in cask prior to bottling. This full-bodied, velvety Brunello is endowed with plenty of dark fruit, smoke, iron and tar. The tannins finish big, but the wine appears to have enough depth and length on the palate to provide a good measure of balance. The Pianrosso comes across as surprisingly fresh in this vintage, which should allow it to age more gracefully, if not necessarily longer, than the normal bottling. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2018. Proprietor Paolo Bianchini is upbeat about his 2003 Brunellos. It is the first vintage in which he had the tools to perform a cold soak, which he feels was especially critical in preserving as much freshness as possible in the wines. For the Brunellos, fermentation and maceration lasted several weeks and the wines were aged in cask. (Apr 2008)
Good deep red. Youthfully reticent nose hints at plum, leather, mocha and licorice, with some medicinal but ripe red fruits emerging with aeration. Then creamy-ripe and lush in the middle, with a distinctly polished texture, a suggestion of menthol and enticing sweetness. Turned a bit angular on the finish. With extended time in the recorked bottle, this very ripe wine became increasingly harmonious.
| Producer |
| The Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona estate, whose origins date back to the 17th
century, produces some of Italy’s most highly regarded wines. In 1985, estate
manager Giuseppe Bianchini inherited the property from Countess Elda Ciacci
Piccolomini d’Aragona, who had no heirs. Today, his children, Paolo and Lucia
Bianchini, continue making excellent Brunellos in the tradition of their father, who died in 2004. The 85 acre estate in the prized Castelnuovo dell’Abate zone includes the famed Pianrosso site. The vineyards are located between Poggio d’Arna and the Orcia River on the southwest side of Montalcino at an altitude of 240 to 360 meters. Organic fertilizers are employed along with double pruning and green harvesting. The Bianchini’s own three cellars – the ancient Palzzo cellar, the main Molinello cellar and the Santo Stefano cellar, located in Montenero, which is used solely for production of their Montecucco DOC wine. The Ciacci wines all speak of flawless quality and exhibit Tuscan typicity crafted in a modern style. |
