Poggio di Sotto

Vinified only in the best vintages, it surprises with a bright garnet red, almost making you think it was a rosé. Bouquet of blackberry and small sweet forest berries, cherry-like on the palate and then not at all arbitrary with a gripping acidity and fine-grained tannin. A great, intellectual Brunello for the advanced connoisseur who likes it profound and extraordinary. SUPERIORE.DE

"As always a hoard of tradition with its flowery notes of raspberries, violets and leather; still very youthful construction with fine-grained tannin, invigorating acidity, seductive finish on notes of plums, leather and tobacco. Pleases with its elegance." Vinum

"Sparkling, bright garnet red. Finely drawn, very clear nose of fresh cherries and plums, some china bark in the background. Rolls juicy and salty over the tongue, fine, handy tannin in many layers, much tension, very long finish." Falstaff

"Tasted blind. Just mid ruby. Gorgeous, perfumed red-fruit nose with an elegant note of oatmeal. Bright, concentrated red fruit with plenty of acidity. Very elegant and understated, with fine sandy tannins. Long and complex finish." Jancis Robinson

"There’s a real Burgundian feel here to the sour cherries, five spice, citrus, nutmeg and fresh oregnano. The tannins have a beautiful, porcelain-like feel; the acidity cuts a wide and long shape. Delicate, floral and refined. All about grace and elegance." James Suckling

"On steep slopes in the southeast of Montalcino, Poggio di Sotto's vineyards are cooled by breezes coming off the nearby Monte Amiata. The Brunello is crafted from plots that range in altitude from 200 to 450 metres. Fermentations are spontaneous, maceration lasts one month and ageing is in 30-hectolitre Slavonian oak casks. This demonstrates the generosity of the vintage but is still fresh and graceful. Sweet fennel, underbrush and thyme blossoms give intricacy to pure red cherry fruit. Abundant chalky tannins build stealthily across the palate and provide a welcome dimension of texture, while Sangiovese's appetising juiciness shines through." Decanter

"Luminous red. Delicately smoky and ripe on the nose, with deep raspberry and red cherry aromas complicated by notes of sandalwood, licorice, graphite and sweet pipe tobacco. Full and rich but also very bright, with red and dark berry flavors given life by juicy, harmonious acidity and very nicely framed by supple tannins. Closes long, fresh, and expansive, deeper and less sweet than the estate’s 2018 Rosso di Montalcino also released this year. Utterly delicious and already accessible, this boasts noteworthy elegance and freshness for such a big ripe wine." Vinous

"Poggio di Sotto doesn't miss a beat with this very special release. This is a glorious expression of the vintage, and the wine has absorbed the golden sunlight of Tuscany, delivering beautifully ripe, round and subtle fruit layers. The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino shows concentration, but not too much, and richness, but not too much. You get the power and the opulence of the vintage presented with the elegance and grace that is the house style at this venerated estate. Poggio di Sotto is one of the benchmarks of Montalcino. There's a lot of red fruit energy deep inside that should stir this wine on course as it ages over the next two decades." Robert Parker

Only vinified in the best vintages, it surprises with a bright garnet red. Bouquet of blackberry, violets and small sweet wild berries, on the palate cherry-like and then not at all arbitrary with a gripping acidity and a fine-grained tannin. A great, intellectual Brunello for the advanced connoisseur who likes it enigmatic and extraordinary. SUPERIORE.DE

"Bright flavors of strawberry, cherry and currant are at the core of this elegant red, which is balanced and long, with a fresh aftertaste evoking fruit and mineral hints. Firm, yet refined tannins should give this structure to evolve over the next decade and more." Wine Spectator

"Bright ruby-garnet with a slightly brightening rim. Initially shows fine spicy notes, after cardamom and cloves, dark fruit notes, after blackberries and dark cherries. Spreads out on the palate with fine substance, opens with grippy tannin in many layers, long finish, juicy." Falstaff

"Cherries and orange peel with cedar and pine undertones. It’s full yet fresh and lightly chewy with some citrus at the end. Shows tension and firmness for the vintage with a pretty form and purity. From organically grown grapes. Better after 2022." James Suckling

"Poggio di Sotto made 50% less wine in 2017 and will not release a Riserva. Maceration times were shorter than usual – just 25 to 30 days for the Brunello. It also spent three rather than four years in wood to avoid over-concentration. Aromas of steeped red berry infused with dried thyme and scorched orange peel make a heady first impression. The palate is mouth-filling and shows lovely purity of cherry and raspberry at the core. Concentrated in acidity with finely powdered, finessed tannins, this reveals just a hint of astringency on the orange liqueur and amaro finish." Decanter

"A captivating mix of ripe plums, strawberries, cloves, violet pastille, balsam herbs and white smoke emanates from the 2017 Brunello di Montalcino. This is undeniably elegant in feel, showing a weight unexpected from a young Poggio di Sotto, yet working in perfect harmony, with tart cherries and wild berries drenching the palate in primary concentration, as saline-minerals and brisk acids add energy and verve. There’s simply so much going on here that each return to the glass reveals something new. The tannins are sweet and rounded, and while structured, this remains fully satiating and fresh, as hints of lavender and black currant slowly fade. It’s totally atypical of a young Poggio di Sotto, yet also a wonderfully unique expression of the vintage, one that should mature evenly in spite of the drastic climatic conditions. What’s more, winemaker Luca Marrone chose to shorten the aging in wood by an entire year. The 2017 is a wine that’s not to be missed." Vinous

"Made with certified-organic fruit, the 2017 Brunello di Montalcino is an impossibly graceful wine from a challenging vintage. This bottle defies the odds-and the dry heat of the growing season-to reveal soft layers of cherry, cassis and more vibrant fruit. It glides clear over the palate with silky momentum, and you only notice the tannins at the very end. Even those should soften and integrate as this collectible wine continues it bottle evolution." Robert Parker

Vinified only in the best vintages, it surprises with a bright garnet red. Bouquet of blackberry, violets and small sweet wild berries, on the palate cherry-like and then not at all arbitrary with a gripping acidity and a fine-grained tannin. A great, intellectual Brunello for the advanced connoisseur who likes it enigmatic and extraordinary. SUPERIORE.DE

"Convincing wild berry and violet aromas, very classic; youthful and polished on the palate with a perfectly balanced tannin-acid framework, the finish elegant and finely chiselled with clear fruit and precisely sprinkled balsamic notes. Should be put in the cellar and forgotten for a few years first." Vinum

"Oh my, this is another seductive, elegant fragrance, reminiscent of a mix of the finest Burgundy and Piedmont. Ripe heart cherries and raspberries, engaging, distinctive ethereal herbal spice with juicy liquorice, but red-blue florality as well as a touch of blood orange. Wow, is this complex. Elegant, finely meshed style on the palate, great tension of transparent precise fruit and balsamic freshness. Once again one of the best of the vintage. Bravo!" Weinwisser

"Bright, sparkling garnet red. Seductive nose with distinct notes of wild raspberry, some strawberry, underlaid with liquorice tones. Extremely juicy and clear on the palate, lots of cherry, plus pomegranate and some blood orange, lots of tension, very long finish." Falstaff

"Just mid ruby. Finely perfumed, minerally nose with touches of sweet raspberry and cherry. Compact palate of youthful sweet fruit. Stunning balance between embryonic sweet fruit, supple acidity and long, finely chiselled tannins. Real precision." Jancis Robinson

"A chewy, dusty-textured red with lots of intense tannins and fresh blue fruit, as well as black cherries and some orange-peel undertones. It’s full-bodied and tight with firm tannins at the end. Closed. Try after 2023." James Suckling

"There is always something so recognisable and pure in Poggio di Sotto. The estate has made a great effort to preserve the genetic material of the vines, and the Sangiovese is a massal selection of its own biotypes. Aromas drip with ripe red cherry, Mediterranean herbs and white pepper. The fruit is sumptuous and very juicy – all raspberry and nectarine flesh. Beautifully weightless yet mouthfilling, it's racy and fluid with powdery tannins that cleanse the palate, and a lingering finish of orange blossom and tea." Decanter

"You can lose yourself in the bouquet of the 2016 Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino. At one moment, the 2016 shows crushed cherries with autumnal spice; the next, it’s exotic florals and candied orange peels, and at another time flowery undergrowth, white smoke and wild berries. It’s unbelievably soft and pure, lifting the wine through saline-minerals, as sweet notes of cherry and raspberry begin to slowly saturate, yet what they leave behind is youthfully grippy tannins. With how structured the 2016 is today, it’s still enjoyable due to nervous acids and notes of sour citrus, which keep the expression fresh. The 2016 Poggio di Sotto Brunello is really a terrific effort and a classic in the making." Vinous

"Alluring aromas of macerated cherry, strawberry and rose give way to a core of red fruit framed by iron, earth and tobacco in this elegant red, which is silky, but also well-structured, balanced and intense in a stylish profile. Very complex and promising." Wine Spectator

"The beautiful 2016 Brunello di Montalcino possesses deep inner shine and a glossy nature that transcends the bouquet and the mouthfeel. The wine is redolent of dark plum and wild cherry, and those bright primary fruit tones descend into softer layers of rose hip and lavender sachet. The wine's acidity hits the palate with balanced determination and instantly livens up the senses. This classic vintage will be remembered for its length and pedigree." Robert Parker

With the fruit-driven, round and almost perfect in all components 2015 vintage, the Riserva of Poggio di Sotto climbs new spheres. It is not only an enormously classic representative of the appellation, but it also presents that certain little bit more of all components, which makes it a very great wine and makes it stand out from the sea of very good 2015s. On the nose and palate, an inspiring potpourri of primary and secondary fruit. From cherry, crème de cassis, tar, liquorice and balsamic herbal spice to perfectly integrated tannin and a refined cedar component, we find everything here that makes a highly complex red. A classic that could not be more perfect. SUPERIORE.DE

"Sparkling, brightening ruby-garnet. Finely marked nose with distinct notes of ripe raspberries, juicy, fresh cherries and a hint of leather. Very impressive on the palate, fine, slightly grippy tannin in many layers characterises the wine, embedded in fine melting, ripe red berry fruit, firm pressure on the final." Falstaff

"Extremely perfumed with black-cherry, plum and red-cherry aromas that follow through to a full body with very fine, pretty tannins that follow through to a flavorful finish. Pretty balance and refinement. All about finesse." James Suckling

"Poggio Di Sotto's 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is undeniably elegant and feminine, impressing with an alluring bouquet which mixes spiced black cherry with hints of sage, mint, dried roses and white smoke. It enters the palate soft, lifted and youthfully understated, cascading bright red fruits laced with minerals across a core of stimulating acids as nuanced tannins slowly build. An air of red currant, licorice and inner florals linger, as the 2015 Riserva flexes its structural muscle throughout the cheek-puckering finale. This will require quite a bit of cellaring to fill out and settle down, yet is sure to be worth the wait. I followed the 2015 Riserva over the course of four days and it never declined." Vinous

"There’s a leafy underbrush element to this red, punctuating the cherry, strawberry and earth flavors. Compact for now, yet balanced, with a taut, reserved finish. Offers tension and suppleness, with plenty in reserve." Wine Spectator

"The Poggio di Sotto 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva shows extra muscle definition, power and heady layers of rich fruit. This is all in line with the personality of the vintage, which was sunny and warm with golden sunlight throughout the summer season. This wine stands out for its fine-gained texture, which is smooth and polished. This Riserva offers aromas of cherry and blackberry and shows the depth that you should expect of a classic Riserva bottling." Robert Parker

Poggio di Sotto has indisputably released one of the best wines of the vintage here. This 2016 Riserva fulfils the promise of its category. This wine offers intensity and complexity in abundance. The bouquet is more refined and deeper than that of the Annata, alongside dark fruits and blackberries, this wine shows an added dose of cloves and spices. In the mouth, the wine is supple and silky, but it also shows impressive power and length. If you are willing to wait ten years or more, you will be rewarded in the most excellent way with this Riserva! SUPERIORE.DE

"Impresses with a scent of red berries, flowers and perfectly integrated wood; harmonious in the mouth, the ripe acidity and the fresh, fine-grained tannins enliven, beautiful progression towards a complex elegant final. Can still mature." Vinum

"Sparkling, medium dense ruby garnet. Intense and very appealing nose, of rose petals, fresh wild raspberries and dark cherries. Unfolds on the palate with lots of grippy tannin, filled with fine melting, long final with notes of raspberry and cherry, exceedingly polished." Falstaff

"Radiant and animated, this Riserva captivates with gorgeous aromas of orange oil, rose, pomegranate, raspberry and even sundried tomato. Yet the palate is locked tight, denser than usual but gracefully composed. Tactile tannins wrap around the mouth with a powdery texture. Eventually a succulent core of currants reveals itself. The long and detailed finish exhibits smoke, pepper and orange peel." Decanter

"This elegant, detailed Brunello has a beautiful display of pure cherry and strawberry fruit. Rich and saturated with fruit yet also vibrant and long. Features floral, mineral and tobacco accents that add depth. Balanced, this red is more about finesse than power." Wine Spectator

"This is so perfumed with cherry, floral, hot stone and chalk aromas that follow through to a medium to full body, with chewy, velvety and slightly dusty tannins. Bark and truffle add to the complexity of the finish." James Suckling

"The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is dark and brooding in its youthful state, offering up a seductive bouquet of dried cherries, currants, cloves and dusty flowers, like opening a cedar incense box lost many years ago. It coasts silken waves of textural red berries and liquid florals across a core of bright acids, becoming spicier and violet-tinged as it travels across the palate. The inner harmony and elegance achieved here is remarkable, as if there is not a hard edge in sight, yet it is structured and savory – almost salty, even. A full minute goes by and hints of licorice, pomegranate and cinnamon still linger on. As motivating and lively as this is today, it will require a number of years in the cellar to show its best. The 2016 Riserva is stunning from start to finish." Vinous

"The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a stunning wine and an archetype of classic Sangiovese from Montalcino. This Riserva is extremely fine and nuanced with the thinnest of fibers that wash over the palate like fine silk. Certified-organic fruit shapes aromas of cassis, cranberry, peony, tea leaf, orange and rusty nail. The aromas are tight and contained, yet they become increasingly expansive and expressive as the wine opens in the glass. It has contained power and, most importantly, a relatively moderate 14% alcohol, which makes all the difference in terms of balance and elegance." Robert Parker

Vinified only in the best vintages, it surprises with a bright garnet red, almost making you think it was a rosé. Bouquet of blackberry and small sweet forest berries, cherry-like on the palate and then not at all arbitrary with a gripping acidity and fine-grained tannin. A great, intellectual Brunello for the advanced connoisseur who likes it profound and extraordinary. SUPERIORE.DE

"As always a hoard of tradition with its flowery notes of raspberries, violets and leather; still very youthful construction with fine-grained tannin, invigorating acidity, seductive finish on notes of plums, leather and tobacco. Pleases with its elegance." Vinum

"Sparkling, bright garnet red. Finely drawn, very clear nose of fresh cherries and plums, some china bark in the background. Rolls juicy and salty over the tongue, fine, handy tannin in many layers, much tension, very long finish." Falstaff

"Tasted blind. Just mid ruby. Gorgeous, perfumed red-fruit nose with an elegant note of oatmeal. Bright, concentrated red fruit with plenty of acidity. Very elegant and understated, with fine sandy tannins. Long and complex finish." Jancis Robinson

"There’s a real Burgundian feel here to the sour cherries, five spice, citrus, nutmeg and fresh oregnano. The tannins have a beautiful, porcelain-like feel; the acidity cuts a wide and long shape. Delicate, floral and refined. All about grace and elegance." James Suckling

"On steep slopes in the southeast of Montalcino, Poggio di Sotto's vineyards are cooled by breezes coming off the nearby Monte Amiata. The Brunello is crafted from plots that range in altitude from 200 to 450 metres. Fermentations are spontaneous, maceration lasts one month and ageing is in 30-hectolitre Slavonian oak casks. This demonstrates the generosity of the vintage but is still fresh and graceful. Sweet fennel, underbrush and thyme blossoms give intricacy to pure red cherry fruit. Abundant chalky tannins build stealthily across the palate and provide a welcome dimension of texture, while Sangiovese's appetising juiciness shines through." Decanter

"Luminous red. Delicately smoky and ripe on the nose, with deep raspberry and red cherry aromas complicated by notes of sandalwood, licorice, graphite and sweet pipe tobacco. Full and rich but also very bright, with red and dark berry flavors given life by juicy, harmonious acidity and very nicely framed by supple tannins. Closes long, fresh, and expansive, deeper and less sweet than the estate’s 2018 Rosso di Montalcino also released this year. Utterly delicious and already accessible, this boasts noteworthy elegance and freshness for such a big ripe wine." Vinous

"Poggio di Sotto doesn't miss a beat with this very special release. This is a glorious expression of the vintage, and the wine has absorbed the golden sunlight of Tuscany, delivering beautifully ripe, round and subtle fruit layers. The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino shows concentration, but not too much, and richness, but not too much. You get the power and the opulence of the vintage presented with the elegance and grace that is the house style at this venerated estate. Poggio di Sotto is one of the benchmarks of Montalcino. There's a lot of red fruit energy deep inside that should stir this wine on course as it ages over the next two decades." Robert Parker

Vinified only in the best vintages, it surprises with a bright garnet red. Bouquet of blackberry, violets and small sweet wild berries, on the palate cherry-like and then not at all arbitrary with a gripping acidity and a fine-grained tannin. A great, intellectual Brunello for the advanced connoisseur who likes it enigmatic and extraordinary. SUPERIORE.DE

"Bright flavors of strawberry, cherry and currant are at the core of this elegant red, which is balanced and long, with a fresh aftertaste evoking fruit and mineral hints. Firm, yet refined tannins should give this structure to evolve over the next decade and more." Wine Spectator

"Cherries and orange peel with cedar and pine undertones. It’s full yet fresh and lightly chewy with some citrus at the end. Shows tension and firmness for the vintage with a pretty form and purity. From organically grown grapes. Better after 2022." James Suckling

"Poggio di Sotto made 50% less wine in 2017 and will not release a Riserva. Maceration times were shorter than usual – just 25 to 30 days for the Brunello. It also spent three rather than four years in wood to avoid over-concentration. Aromas of steeped red berry infused with dried thyme and scorched orange peel make a heady first impression. The palate is mouth-filling and shows lovely purity of cherry and raspberry at the core. Concentrated in acidity with finely powdered, finessed tannins, this reveals just a hint of astringency on the orange liqueur and amaro finish." Decanter

"A captivating mix of ripe plums, strawberries, cloves, violet pastille, balsam herbs and white smoke emanates from the 2017 Brunello di Montalcino. This is undeniably elegant in feel, showing a weight unexpected from a young Poggio di Sotto, yet working in perfect harmony, with tart cherries and wild berries drenching the palate in primary concentration, as saline-minerals and brisk acids add energy and verve. There’s simply so much going on here that each return to the glass reveals something new. The tannins are sweet and rounded, and while structured, this remains fully satiating and fresh, as hints of lavender and black currant slowly fade. It’s totally atypical of a young Poggio di Sotto, yet also a wonderfully unique expression of the vintage, one that should mature evenly in spite of the drastic climatic conditions. What’s more, winemaker Luca Marrone chose to shorten the aging in wood by an entire year. The 2017 is a wine that’s not to be missed." Vinous

"Made with certified-organic fruit, the 2017 Brunello di Montalcino is an impossibly graceful wine from a challenging vintage. This bottle defies the odds-and the dry heat of the growing season-to reveal soft layers of cherry, cassis and more vibrant fruit. It glides clear over the palate with silky momentum, and you only notice the tannins at the very end. Even those should soften and integrate as this collectible wine continues it bottle evolution." Robert Parker

With the fruit-driven, round and almost perfect in all components 2015 vintage, the Riserva of Poggio di Sotto climbs new spheres. It is not only an enormously classic representative of the appellation, but it also presents that certain little bit more of all components, which makes it a very great wine and makes it stand out from the sea of very good 2015s. On the nose and palate, an inspiring potpourri of primary and secondary fruit. From cherry, crème de cassis, tar, liquorice and balsamic herbal spice to perfectly integrated tannin and a refined cedar component, we find everything here that makes a highly complex red. A classic that could not be more perfect. SUPERIORE.DE

"Sparkling, brightening ruby-garnet. Finely marked nose with distinct notes of ripe raspberries, juicy, fresh cherries and a hint of leather. Very impressive on the palate, fine, slightly grippy tannin in many layers characterises the wine, embedded in fine melting, ripe red berry fruit, firm pressure on the final." Falstaff

"Extremely perfumed with black-cherry, plum and red-cherry aromas that follow through to a full body with very fine, pretty tannins that follow through to a flavorful finish. Pretty balance and refinement. All about finesse." James Suckling

"Poggio Di Sotto's 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is undeniably elegant and feminine, impressing with an alluring bouquet which mixes spiced black cherry with hints of sage, mint, dried roses and white smoke. It enters the palate soft, lifted and youthfully understated, cascading bright red fruits laced with minerals across a core of stimulating acids as nuanced tannins slowly build. An air of red currant, licorice and inner florals linger, as the 2015 Riserva flexes its structural muscle throughout the cheek-puckering finale. This will require quite a bit of cellaring to fill out and settle down, yet is sure to be worth the wait. I followed the 2015 Riserva over the course of four days and it never declined." Vinous

"There’s a leafy underbrush element to this red, punctuating the cherry, strawberry and earth flavors. Compact for now, yet balanced, with a taut, reserved finish. Offers tension and suppleness, with plenty in reserve." Wine Spectator

"The Poggio di Sotto 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva shows extra muscle definition, power and heady layers of rich fruit. This is all in line with the personality of the vintage, which was sunny and warm with golden sunlight throughout the summer season. This wine stands out for its fine-gained texture, which is smooth and polished. This Riserva offers aromas of cherry and blackberry and shows the depth that you should expect of a classic Riserva bottling." Robert Parker