The Pros and Cons of Rosso di Montalcino and Beyond
BY ERIC GUIDO |
There are both pros and cons to the strict rules that Montalcino enforces regarding Brunello. The four years of aging required in winery cellars places a huge burden on producers, especially new and aspiring winemakers that must invest time and money for such an extended period before seeing a return on their investment. Luckily, for both producers and consumers, the Rosso di Montalcino category was created. Under these regulations, a producer can use fruit from their Brunello vineyards, vineyards designated for Rosso or make a barrel selection within the cellar and release a wine after only ten months of aging. These wines must be 100% Sangiovese and can be refined in concrete, stainless steel or wood. Frankly, the sky’s the limit. In a perfect world, that sounds great, but this is not a perfect world.
While some producers are truly setting out to create an excellent Rosso, whether meant for early consumption or one that will stand the test of time, there are just as many who are simply trying to cash in on this lesser category. They rely on its very lenient rules to create an inferior wine, yet one that can still carry the name “Montalcino”. To further complicate matters, there is no way to tell what the style of the wine might be from the label. Is it a fun and fresh Rosso from early-harvested fruit with great acidity and perfect for a pop and pour? Or is it the producer’s “Baby Brunello,” a special selection that sees less time in wood than the estate’s top wines, but still enough to impart it with the ability and possibly the necessity to mature in your cellar before drinking? When you then factor prices, which typically push $25-$30 and up, it’s easy to see why so many consumers pass over a Rosso di Montalcino and look to the often more affordable and easily recognized bottle of Chianti Classico that’s sitting beside it on the shelf.
However, Rosso is still an important category in Montalcino. Any lover of the region's wines would be doing themself a disservice by not exploring what the best Rossos have to offer. The best producers, the ones who care, the ones who see their Rosso as a gateway wine to introduce consumers to their brand, have placed a whole new emphasis on the quality of their more affordable wines, whether that be the Rosso, an entry-level IGT or Sant’Antimo (one of the most open-ended DOCs imaginable for both red and white wines from Tuscany). What’s more, the Rosso category presents us with the opportunity to better understand the Brunello vintages that are on the horizon.
Sangiovese vines on the slopes of Montosoli.
My last point is paramount when considering the most recent Brunello vintage we’ve spoken about: 2017. This is a vintage that presented some of the most souped-up and intense Rossos in memory. They were grippy yet dark and packed full of primary fruit. The best of them are still slowly maturing and with years of further potential in a cold cellar. The success of these Rossos makes a lot of sense when compared to the Brunellos of the vintage. In many cases, the fruit for these wines was chosen for its high acidity or harvested early. Grapes didn’t go through extended macerations or long barrel-aging, and it didn’t hurt that some producers declassified extra fruit from their Brunello production to make better Rosso. In the end, the Rosso formula lent itself very well to the torrid heat and dry conditions of the 2017 vintage. Would it surprise you to hear that some producers’ Rossos scored higher than their estate Brunellos in 2017? Well, they did.
Subscriber Access Only
or Sign Up
As I continue to taste through the 2017 Brunellos, the importance and possibilities of Rosso di Montalcino are more evident now than ever before. Rosso provides a great opportunity to take a peek at the Brunello vintages that are on the way, even if that approach is not without its pitfalls, as I explain in this article. It’s time to take a look at the 2019 and 2020 Rossos that are entering the market.
Show all the wines (sorted by score)
Producers in this Article
- Agostina Pieri
- Antinori - Pian delle Vigne
- Argiano
- Armilla
- Baricci
- Beatesca
- Biondi Santi - Tenuta Il Greppo
- Campogiovanni
- Canalicchio di Sopra - Ripaccioli
- Capanna
- Caparzo
- Carpineto
- Casanova di Neri
- Casanuova delle Cerbaie
- Casisano
- Castelli Martinozzi
- Castello Romitorio
- Castello Tricerchi
- Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona
- Col di Lamo
- Col d'Orcia
- Cordella
- Costanti
- Donatella Cinelli Colombini
- Fattoria del Barbi
- Fonterenza
- Frescobaldi - CastelGiocondo
- Il Marroneto
- Il Paradiso di Frassina
- Il Poggione
- La Colombina
- La Gerla
- La Maggia
- La Palazzetta
- La Poderina
- Le Chiuse
- Le Potazzine
- Livio Sassetti - Pertimali
- Loghi Farm
- Mastrojanni
- Mocali
- Padelletti
- Paniole
- Patrizia Cencioni
- Pian dell'Orino
- Pinino
- Podere Le Ripi
- Podere Scopetone
- Poggio di Sotto
- Poggio Il Castellare
- Roberto Cipresso
- Salicutti
- Salvioni (La Cerbaiola)
- Scopetone
- Siro Pacenti
- Talenti
- Tenimenti Angelini - Val di Suga
- Tenuta Fanti
- Tenuta San Giorgio - Collemassari
- Tenute Silvio Nardi
- Terre Nere Campigli Vallone
- Tiezzi
- Uccelliera
- Villa Poggio Salvi
- Visconti
- Voliero
Related Articles
2025
2024
- New Releases from the Tuscan Maremma (Dec 2024)
- A Tale of Two Extremes: The 2020 Brunellos and 2019 Riservas (Nov 2024)
- Cellar Favorite: Castello dei Rampolla: Library Releases (Oct 2024)
- Conti Costanti: Montalcino’s Most Historic Estate (Oct 2024)
- The Magic of 2022 Rosso di Montalcino (Sep 2024)
- Chianti Classico: The Magnificent 2021s (Jul 2024)
- Once Upon a Time – Soldera Retrospective: 1977-2017 (Jun 2024)
- Cellar Favorite: Castello di Ama - Looking Back at the 2006s (May 2024)
- Carmignano, Montecucco and Tuscany’s Unrivaled Diversity (Mar 2024)
- 2024 Tuscany Preview (Feb 2024)
- 2013 Brunello di Montalcino: The Throwback Vintage (Feb 2024)
2023
- Buckle Your Seatbelts: 2019 Brunello and 2021 Rosso di Montalcino (Dec 2023)
- Vino Nobile di Montepulciano: Making Wine in The New Normal (Oct 2023)
- Chianti Classico: The Brilliant 2021s & Variable 2020s (Aug 2023)
- Cellar Favorite: San Giusto a Rentennano Chianti Classico: 2001-1990 (Aug 2023)
- Exploring New Releases from Coastal Tuscany (Aug 2023)
- Vinous Table: Osteria Le Logge, Siena, Italy (Jun 2023)
- Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggio 1962-2017 (Apr 2023)
- 2020 Tuscany Preview (Feb 2023)
- Touring Tuscany: Carmignano, Montecucco and Beyond (Feb 2023)
- Terroir and Determination: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (Feb 2023)
- The Pendulum Swings: 2012 Brunello di Montalcino (Jan 2023)
2022
- 2018 Brunello di Montalcino: The Rubik’s Cube Vintage (Dec 2022)
- The Rise of Rosso di Montalcino (Oct 2022)
- Chianti Classico & Neighbors: Looking at the 2020s and 2019s (Jul 2022)
- Book Excerpt from Alessandro Masnaghetti’s Chianti Classico: The Complete Atlas of the UGA Vineyards (Jul 2022)
- Cellar Favorite: San Giusto a Rentennano Chianti Classico 2002-2010 (Jul 2022)
- Tuscany: New Releases from the Coast (Jul 2022)
- 2019 Tuscany Preview (Mar 2022)
- Looking Back to Look Forward: Back Vintage Brunello (Jan 2022)
2021
- Montepulciano, Carmignano and Montecucco: New Releases (Dec 2021)
- Jekyll and Hyde: 2017 Brunello di Montalcino and 2016 Riservas (Dec 2021)
- Cellar Favorite: 2012 Pian dell'Orino Rosso di Montalcino (Nov 2021)
- Cellar Favorite: 1969 Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggio (Oct 2021)
- Chianti Classico and Beyond – 2018 & 2019 (Sep 2021)
- Cellar Favorite: 2015 Soldera Sangiovese (May 2021)
- Cellar Favorite: 2011 Cupano Brunello di Montalcino (Apr 2021)
- Cellar Favorite: 2004 Poggio Il Castellare Brunello di Montalcino (Apr 2021)
- Vino Nobile & Carmignano: Italy’s Forgotten Noble Reds (Apr 2021)
- Tuscany Odds & Ends (Apr 2021)
- In the Sweet Spot: 2001 Brunello di Montalcino (Mar 2021)
- 2018 Tuscany Preview (Feb 2021)
- Cellar Favorite: 2006 Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggio (Feb 2021)
- The Power of Three: New Vintage Rosso di Montalcino (Jan 2021)
- New Releases from the Tuscan Coast (Jan 2021)
2020
- 2016 Brunello di Montalcino: Radiance Personified (Nov 2020)
- Cellar Favorite: 2006 Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva (Nov 2020)
- Antinori Solaia From Magnum: 1978-2016 (Sep 2020)
- Chianti Classico: More Than Meets The Eye (Sep 2020)
- Cellar Favorite: Soldera: A Look at the 2013 & 2014 (Jul 2020)
- Cellar Favorite: 1997 Col d’Orcia Brunello di Montalcino (Jun 2020)
- Cellar Favorite: 1999 Podere La Vigna Brunello di Montalcino (Apr 2020)
- 2015 Brunello: The Vintage We Have Been Waiting For? (Apr 2020)
- Montalcino: The Great 2015 Brunellos & More (Apr 2020)
- Tuscany New Releases, Part 1 (Mar 2020)
- Cellar Favorite: 1990 Soldera – Case Basse Brunello di Montalcino (Feb 2020)
- Masseto Retrospective at the Country Music Hall of Fame (Jan 2020)
2019
- San Giusto a Rentennano La Ricolma: A Complete Retrospective (Dec 2019)
- Spotlight on Rosso di Montalcino (Oct 2019)
- Cellar Favorite: 2009 Le Macchiole Paleo Rosso (Sep 2019)
- 2016 Chianti Classico – A Modern Day Benchmark (Aug 2019)
- Remembering Gianfranco Soldera (Apr 2019)
- 2014 Brunello di Montalcino and 2013 Riservas (March 2019)
- Central Tuscany: Maremma, Montepulciano and Beyond (Mar 2019)
- Chianti Classico 2015 & 2016: Right Place, Right Time (Feb 2019)
2018
- Vinous Table: Osteria Le Logge, Siena, Italy (Oct 2018)
- Le Potazzine Brunello di Montalcino 2001 – 2013 (Oct 2018)
- Rocca di Montegrossi: Vigneto San Marcellino 1995–2013 (Aug 2018)
- Cellar Favorite: 1998 Fontodi Chianti Classico (Aug 2018)
- Tuscany New Releases: Maremma, Montepulciano & More (Apr 2018)
- Brunello di Montalcino: Sleek '13s, Surprising '12 Riservas (Apr 2018)
- Chianti Classico: The Stellar 2015s and Surprising 2014s (Jan 2018)
2017
- Castello di Ama L’Apparita Retrospective 1988-2013 (Nov 2017)
- Cellar Favorite: 2007 Antinori Tignanello (Nov 2017)
- Cellar Favorite: 1990 Col D’Orcia Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (Jun 2017)
- Brunello di Montalcino: The 2012 Brunellos & 2011 Riservas (Mar 2017)
- Ornellaia & Masseto: 1995-2010 From Magnum (Jan 2017)
- Cellar Favorite: 1995 Castello di Ama Merlot L’Apparita (Jan 2017)
2016
- Central Tuscany – Maremma, Montepulciano, Carmignano and Beyond (Nov 2016)
- Vinous Event: Soldera Vertical in London (Oct 2016)
- Soldera Redux: 1981-2006 (Oct 2016)
- Looking Back at the 2005 & 2004 Brunellos (Oct 2016)
- 2014 Chianti Classico: Better Late Than Never (Oct 2016)
- A Tuscan Icon – Petrolo Galatrona: 1998-2012 (Sep 2016)
- Salvioni: Brunello di Montalcino 1985-2011 (May 2016)
- Vino Nobile, Carmignano and Tuscany Odds & Ends (Mar 2016)
- Tuscany’s Mysterious Self-Making Vin Santo (Mar 2016)
- 2011 Brunello di Montalcino: Terroir Matters (Feb 2016)
- Vinous in London – April 26 & 27, 2016 (Feb 2016)
- Montevertine: Le Pergole Torte 1980-2012 (Jan 2016)
2015
- 2005 Tuscany – Ten Years Later (Dec 2015)
- Vinous Event: 2010 Brunello di Montalcino (Dec 2015)
- Castello dei Rampolla: Sammarco 1981-2011 (Oct 2015)
- On the Tuscan Coast: New Releases (Oct 2015)
- Chianti Classico 2013 & 2012: The Luck of the Draw (Sep 2015)
- Cellar Favorite: 1988 Montevertine Le Pergole Torte (Jun 2015)
- Canalicchio di Sopra: Brunello di Montalcino 1970-2008 (Mar 2015)
- Biondi-Santi: The Epic Vintages 1955-1975 (Mar 2015)
- Cellar Favorite: 2006 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Masseto (Feb 2015)
- 2010 Brunello di Montalcino: A Promise Fulfilled (Feb 2015)
- Cellar Favorite: 1965 Col d'Orcia Brunello di Montalcino (Feb 2015)
- Soldera – Case Basse: Brunello di Montalcino 1981-2006 (Jan 2015)
2014
- 2012 Rosso di Montalcino (Dec 2014)
- Tuscany Part 2: Bolgheri, the Tuscan Coast and More Super-Tuscans (Dec 2014)
- Val d’Orcia, Montepulciano, Carmignano and the Undiscovered Tuscany (Oct 2014)
- Exploring the Tuscan Coast (Sep 2014)
- Chianti Classico and Beyond – New Releases (Sep 2014)
- Tuscany Part 1: Chianti, Vino Nobile and Supertuscans (Sep 2014)
- Soldera: Brunello di Montalcino 1979-2006 (Aug 2014)
- Brunello di Montalcino 2009 and 2008 Riserva (Jul 2014)
- 2009 Brunello di Montalcino: The Day of Reckoning (May 2014)
- Vertical Tasting of Il Marroneto Brunello di Montalcino (May 2014)
- Le Macchiole: Paleo Rosso 1992-2012 (Apr 2014)
- Fontodi: Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo 1985-2010 (Feb 2014)
2013
- Antinori Solaia – A Complete Retrospective 1978-2010 (Dec 2013)
- Castello dei Rampolla d’Alceo – A Complete Retrospective 1996-2011 (Dec 2013)
- Isole e Olena: Cabernet Sauvignon Collezione De Marchi 1986-2010 (Dec 2013)
- Vertical Tasting of Col d'Orcia's Brunello di Montalcino Poggio al Vento Riserva (Oct 2013)
- Focus on Rosso di Montalcino (Oct 2013)
- 2008 Brunello di Montalcino: A Consumer's Vintage (Sep 2013)
- 2006 Brunello di Montalcino Revisited (Sep 2013)
- In a Tuscan State of Mind (Aug 2013)
- San Giusto a Rentennano Percarlo: The Essence of Gaiole Sangiovese (Aug 2013)
- Isole e Olena Cepparello: The Heart and Soul of Sangiovese (Aug 2013)
- Castello di Ama – Chianti Classico Bellavista: 1982-2007 (Aug 2013)
- Fontodi – Flaccianello and the Path to Greatness: 1981-2009 (Aug 2013)
- Montevertine Le Pergole Torte: A Sangiovese Icon (Aug 2013)
- Vinous Table: Villa Bordoni, Greve in Chianti, Italy (Aug 2013)
- Castellare I Sodi di San Niccolò: A Complete Retrospective 1979 – 2007 (Jul 2013)
- Castell’in Villa – An Icon Revisited: 1971-2007 (Jul 2013)
- Felsina – Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia: A Complete Retrospective 1983-2011 (Jul 2013)
- Brunello di Montalcino 2008 and 2007 Riserva (Jul 2013)
- Castello di Ama: L’Apparita Retrospective 1985-2009 (Jun 2013)
- Gems From The Cellar at Montevertine (Apr 2013)
- Vertical Tasting of Castello di Ama's Chianti Classico Vigneto Bellavista (Feb 2013)
- Vertical Tasting of Castello di Monsanto's Chianti Classico Il Poggio Riserva (Feb 2013)
2012
- Tuscany Part 2: The Tuscan Coast, More Supertuscans et al (Sep 2012)
- Tuscany Part 1: Chianti, Vino Nobile and Supertuscans (Jul 2012)
- Brunello di Montalcino 2007 and 2006 Riserva (Jul 2012)
- Tuscany 2009 and 2010: A World of Opposites (Jun 2012)
- Staring Into The Heart of Sangiovese (Jun 2012)
- Col d’Orcia: Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio al Vento 1982-2006 (May 2012)
- Brunello di Montalcino 2007: A Worthy Successor to 2006 (Apr 2012)
- Masseto Vertical at A Voce Columbus (Mar 2012)
- Vinous Table: Ristorante di Poggio Antico, Montalcino, Italy (Feb 2012)
2011
- Focus on Tuscany: The 2009s and 2008s (Aug 2011)
- 2006 Brunello di Montalcino (Jul 2011)
- Vertical Tasting of Il Poggione's Brunello di Montalcino (May 2011)
- Le Pupille: A Complete Retrospective 1987-2007 (May 2011)
- 2006 Brunello: The Emperor’s New Clothes or Historic Vintage? (May 2011)
- Tenuta dell’Ornellaia: Masseto – A Complete Retrospective 1986-2008 (Apr 2011)
- Le Macchiole Messorio 1994-2006: A Study in Greatness (Feb 2011)
2010
2009
- Lupicaia: An Emerging Tuscan Thoroughbred (Dec 2009)
- Ornellaia: A Major Retrospective 1985-2006 (Dec 2009)
- Vinous Table: Solociccia, Firenze, Italy (Aug 2009)
- Tuscany 2006 and 2007: A New Golden Age (Aug 2009)
- 2004 Brunello di Montalcino (Jul 2009)
- 2004 Brunello di Montalcino: A Vintage Full of Surprises (Jun 2009)
- Gems from Tuscany’s Spectacular 2006 Vintage (Jan 2009)
2008
- Antinori: Tignanello and Solaia Revisited (Nov 2008)
- Valdicava: Brunello di Montalcino 1988-2004 (Nov 2008)
- Soldera: Brunello di Montalcino 1977-2000 (Jul 2008)
- Poggio Scalette: Il Carbonaione 1992-2007 (Jul 2008)
- 2003 Brunello di Montalcino (Jul 2008)
- Tuscany: The Best of 2005 and 2006 (Jun 2008)
- Montalcino: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Apr 2008)
- Il Poggione: Brunello di Montalcino 1967-2001 (Apr 2008)
2007
- Brunello di Montalcino: The 2001 Riservas (Oct 2007)
- Ian D'Agata on Chianti, Carmignano and Montepulciano (Jul 2007)
- Central Tuscany 2003 and 2004: A Tale of Two Vintages (June 2007)
- Podere Il Carnasciale: Il Caberlot 1988-2004 (May 2007)
- Tenuta di Trinoro: Tenuta di Trinoro 1997-2005 (Apr 2007)
- Tenuta dell’Ornellaia: Ornellaia and Masseto 1997-2004 (Mar 2007)
- Exploring Maremma’s 2003 and 2004 Vintages (Feb 2007)
2006