2011 Montecucco Sangiovese

I was deeply impressed with the Brunellos I tasted this year at Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona. Proprietor Paolo Bianchini has done a tremendous job in righting the ship after a brief period a few years ago in which quality was uneven. The Ciacci Brunellos are classic wines from Castelnuovo dell'Abate, which means they are built on textural warmth, richness and volume, all influences of nearby Maremma. The other wines in the range are a bit mixed, perhaps an indication as to what this estate is really best suited to. In top vintages, Ciacci makes three Brunellos, all from their Pianrosso estate, a site with veins of limestone on a bed of clay. The straight Brunello is often delicious and it also ages very well, partly because the shorter time in barrel helps maintain freshness. The top two Brunellos, the Pianrosso and the Riserva Santa Caterina d'Oro are both richer and spend more time in cask. The Brunellos are all fermented in steel, where they also undergo malolactic fermentation before being moved into cask for aging. Bianchini describes 2010 as a year with a rainy spring and delayed flowering, but much more normal conditions throughout the summer and into harvest.