Il Poggione Brunello Di Montalcino 2018
96+ Points, Vinous – 94 Points, Parker’s Wine Advocate
Vinous declared this beauty “easily one of the top wines of the vintage” and “not to be missed” – yet somehow, as the wine world prepares for the arrival of their 2020s, we scored it at a price that almost defies logic.
What makes this even more special is that Il Poggione decided not to produce their legendary Riserva Vigna Paganelli in 2018, instead directing all that exceptional fruit into their regular Brunello. That means you’re essentially getting Riserva quality at the regular bottling price. And their Riserva is often one of if not the top-rated Brunello of the entire vintage, any vintage.
This is a beautiful, multi-layered wine with an impeccable balance between earth, spice, and red fruit. Vinous praised its “heady burst of exotic spice and crushed ashen stone giving way to dried black cherries and grilled herbs.” With a little air, it transforms in the glass, revealing new dimensions with every new sip.
Original price was: $100.00.$69.00Current price is: $69.00.
Availability: In stock
MORE INFO
96+ Points, Vinous
Impressing from the first tilt of the glass, the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino makes itself known, with a heady burst of exotic spice and crushed ashen stone giving way to dried black cherries and grilled herbs. This combines the energy of the vintage with the dark balsamic-tinged fruits of Montalcino’s southern reaches, as zesty acidity maintains balance throughout, and flinty minerals saturate toward the close. It finishes long, savory and structured, yet its tannins are more rounded than anticipated, creating both a classic feel, but also leaving a mouthwatering sensation that tricks the taster back to the glass for more. Easily one of the top wines of the vintage, the 2018 is not to be missed
94 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The Il Poggione 2018 Brunello di Montalcino reveals a dark and savory character with more fruit weight and concentration than you might find in many of its peers. This wine shows a dense center of gravity that is padded with dark cherry, blackberry, toasted spice, mahogany smoked meat and tilled earth. Despite the robust aromas, this Sangiovese is actually quite streamlined and polished in texture. The tannins are soft and veering toward accessibility. The estate’s Riserva Vigna Paganelli was not made in 2018, so fruit from that wine went here instead
A gem of a Brunello that can be drunk now or held for the next five years.
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate declared, “Il Poggione always makes some of the smoothest and most texturally enriched wines in the appellation, and this vintage is no exception.” I would 100% agree with that statement. For me, it comes down to a couple of distinct advantages that the winery has over their peers.
First, the wine is made from the oldest vines on the estate, which is itself one of the oldest active vineyards in the region (planted in 1964). Secondly, those old roots have entrenched themselves deep into the steep slope of the hillside vineyard perched between 1000 and 1500 feet above sea level. This gives their wines character and immense depth that others couldn’t possibly replicate. It also helps the father-son team of Fabrizio and Alessandro Bindocci to craft a tightly interwoven masterpiece with bright cherry and plum flavors even with little water to go around.
“However, Il Poggione made one of the top wines of 2018. What makes their Brunello so special is its balance of depth and structure that is seldom seen in this vintage, yet married to the exotic aromatics that many 2018s are noted for. So how did they succeed? Once again, this shows the importance of place in Montalcino. Alessandro Bindocci, manager and winemaker at Il Poggione, described 2018 in the southwest as having heavy precipitation throughout the spring that built up water supplies in the soils, which helped to mitigate the hot temperatures in May through July. Average August temperatures and light precipitation followed, with a cooling trend leading into September. While there was more rain in September, the strong Mistral winds maintained the health of the vines. In the end, production at Il Poggione was down due to strict selection of bunches to deal with the humid conditions. For this reason, Bindocci decided to use all of the fruit from the Paganelli vineyard in the estate Brunello, instead of producing a Riserva. The result is easily one of the top wines of the vintage and a bottle that collectors should not miss.” -Eric Guido, Vinous
Related Products
Related products
-
Italy
ColleMassari Montecucco Rosso Riserva 2018
Original price was: $26.00.$20.95Current price is: $20.95. -
California
Flowers Sonoma Coast 2022/2023 Mixed Six-Pack
Original price was: $330.00.$255.00Current price is: $255.00. -
Pinot Noir
Hirsch Bohan Dillon Pinot Noir 2022
Original price was: $60.00.$49.99Current price is: $49.99. -
Collector Series
Domaine de Beaurenard Chateauneuf-du-Pape Boisrenard 2020
Original price was: $120.00.$89.00Current price is: $89.00. -
American Wines
Carl Roy East Side Cuvee Napa Valley 2021
Original price was: $50.00.$33.00Current price is: $33.00.
