Siro Pacenti

Diverse bouquet of dried cherries, followed by notes of chocolate and flowers. Full on the palate, with dense fruit, good structure and firm tannin. A "little Brunello" from a very good house. SUPERIORE.DE

"Very rich, deep ruby red. Fine nose of ripe red berries, raspberries, strawberries, delicate herbs, rosemary. Velvety tannin with clear, dark fruit envelops the palate with firm pressure, ends long in the final." Falstaff

"Mid ruby. Firm and youthful cherry nose. Wonderful succulent fresh palate with a serious load of tannins that nevertheless fits the bill. Elegant and yet firm. Gorgeous expression of Sangiovese." Jancis Robinson

"The 2016 Rosso di Montalcino is a bright and vibrant red wine that really pops from the glass. It exhibits a cheerful vertical lift that embraces all the senses. That buoyant bouquet is duly followed by robust cherry flavors with an impressive level of richness and concentration. This wine shows good structure and staying power. It has the budding complexity that comes so naturally to the mighty wines of Montalcino. Some 15,000 bottles were made, and you get excellent value with this bottle." Robert Parker

"The 2016 Rosso di Montalcino is fresh, vibrant and explosive, with tremendous energy from start to finish. Macerated dark cherry, mocha, tobacco, mint, dried flowers, licorice and spice all run through this rich, sumptuous Rosso. The darker side of Sangiovese comes through in a virile, imposing Rosso endowed with tons of structure and sheer depth. Drink it over the next handful of years." Vinous

Pelagrilli 2011 is an impressively fresh and lively Brunello from the north side of Montalcino. The bouquet is wide and expansive with the beautifully defined aromas of dark fruits, flowers and spices. Elegance on the palate, silky tannin and the graceful acidity lead to a very harmonious togetherness. SUPERIORE.DE

"This is very ripe and intense with dried fruit and hints of sliced mushroom. A little high in alcohol. Full body, chewy tannins and a flavorful finish." James Suckling

"The 2011 Brunello di Montalcino Pelagrilli is a fantastic wine made from some of the estate's most promising vines. Still relatively young in age, the vines behind the Pelagrilli selection show delicate floral nuances mixed in with bright red fruit, spice and balsam herb. The wine is elaborate and compelling thanks to warm aromas of wet earth or white truffle that emerges from the bouquet. Pretty layers of smoke and crushed granite appear on the close." Robert Parker

"A captivating, radiant wine, the 2011 Brunello di Montalcino Pelagrilli offers striking depth and nuance. Sweet dark cherry, plum, smoke, licorice and tobacco all flesh out in the glass. The Pelagrilli is without question one of the best wines of the year. Crushed flowers, tobacco, mint and sweet dried cherries grace the long, precise finish. The Pelagrilli is a blend of fruit from the north (80%) and south (20%) of Montalcino, aged in 45-50% new oak. I especially like the sense of energy here." Antonio Galloni

Pelagrilli 2012 is an open, accessible Brunello. With aromas of dark cherry, plum, smoke and spices, lush, rich and structured on the palate, it shows its remarkable personality. SUPERIORE.DE

"Inviting berry aroma, facets of spices, macchia and flowers; complex texture with well integrated, fine-grained tannins, also juice and fullness, long smooth finish. Excellent food companion." Vinum

"Boasting contemporary lines and a generously extracted style, the 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Pelagrilli delivers an approach that will appeal to a wider circle of consumers, far outside hardcore Brunello enthusiasts. The bouquet peels off slowly with rich intensity and dark fruit notes of black cherry, plum, soft spice, tobacco and licorice. You don't get any of the bitter or thorny acidity that can sometimes make Brunello difficult to love, especially in its youth. This wine is appropriate for near or medium-term drinking." Robert Parker

"So much violet, licorice and berry character to this. Wonderful depth. Full body, dusty and chewy tannins and a persistent and intense finish. Layered mouthfeel." James Suckling

"Deep ruby. Sleek oak and red-fruit nose. On the palate the oak takes the upper hand over the fruit at this moment, but the elegant, perfumed cherry fruit comes out on the finish." Jancis Robinson

Aromas of dark cherry, plum, smoke and spices, lush, rich and structured on the palate: every year Pelagrilli shows its remarkable personality. SUPERIORE.DE

"Bright, rich ruby red. Very rich and spicy nose, present wood spice with ripe berries. After some air also slightly after burnt rubber, multi-layered. Hearty with a lot of ripe fruit and sweet, polished wood tannin, opens velvety on the palate and ends harmoniously and long." Falstaff

"Siro Pacenti's 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Pelagrilli offers a terrific package of intensity, freshness, firmness and complexity. It delivers generously on all fronts. The bouquet peels back to reveal wild cherry, rose hip, dried herb and toasted almond. The fruit tastes less ripe here (compared to wines from the southern parts of the appellation), and you do feel that acidic pinch on the close. This wine should flesh out and grow in volume with a few more years of bottle aging." Robert Parker

"A seriously floral Brunello that combines rose petals and raspberry essence with more intense dried strawberries, chocolate shavings, herbs and cedar. The palate doesn't hold back but is still extremely well balanced and refined with tight, grainy tannins and a long, succulent finish." James Suckling

"Concentrated and quite deep ruby! A nose packed with cherry. Generous mouthful of fruit and richly tannic too. Rustic, long and direct." Jancis Robinson

"Underbrush, menthol, star anise and plum aromas mingle with a whiff of exotic spice. The aromas carry over to the austere, firmly structured palate along with espresso, toasted oak, sour cherry and licorice. It's still tight and primary, with firm acidity and youthfully bracing close-grained tannins that grip the finish." Wine Enthusiast

"Bright red. Spicy dark berries, flint and brown spices on the aromatic nose. Supple and broad but youthfully reticent; intriguing suggestions of spice and orange peel complement the flinty red cherry and dark berry flavors. Finishes with substantial but polished tannins. This really needs some time to expand in the bottle." Ian d’Agata (vinous.com)

"The rich plum, cherry, leather and graphite aromas and flavors are matched by dense, mouthcoating tannins in this intense red. Balanced and long, with hints of menthol and earth. If you like beefy reds, this is for you." Wine Spectator

With aromas of dark cherry, plum, smoke and spices, lush, rich and structured on the palate, the 2014 vintage, produced only in small quantities, shows its remarkable personality. SUPERIORE.DE

"Bright, rich ruby garnet. Clear and catchy nose, smells intensely of ripe plums and dark cherries, some macchia herbs in the background. On the palate it shows a lot of juicy, ripe fruit, blackberries and raspberries, appealing density, unfolds with fine-meshed tannin, firm pressure in the final". Falstaff

"This red shows complexity and depth to the plum, cherry, almond, graphite and tobacco flavors. Offers good grip and fine balance overall. Firms up on the finish, but lingers nicely." Wine Spectator

"The 2014 Brunello di Montalcino Pelagrilli is a mid-weight effort with a bouquet that spans a wide breadth with dark fruit notes followed by spice, tobacco and camphor ash. Those aromas are layered and pleasantly complex. The house style always prizes precision, fruit ripeness and well-managed tannins. All of those qualities apply here." Robert Parker

"Underbrush, camphor, tobacco and oak aromas mingle with wild berry. On the linear full-bodied palate, fine-grained polished tannins and bright acidity support Marasca cherry, raspberry, baking spice and espresso." Wine Enthusiast

"Vivid ruby-red. Clean fresh notes of redcurrant, balsamic oils, flint and violet on the nose and in the mouth. Vibrant and juicy, with a very lithe mouthfeel, excellent clarity and cut and a long finish." Vinous

"Very pretty black-cherry and fresh-mushroom character on the nose. Medium-bodied with integrated, polished and chewy tannins. Flavorful finish." James Suckling

Superbe, deep dark and glossy colour. An extraordinarily complex and seductive scent of berries, spices and leather. A taste of great density and strength, wonderful tannin, perfectly complementary wood notes and eternal length. SUPERIORE.DE

"Underbrush, sun-baked earth, black spice, menthol and mature dark-skinned fruit aromas jump out of the glass. The bold, full-bodied palate doles out raspberry jam, ripe Marasca cherry, ground pepper and licorice alongside firm, fine-grained tannins that provide seamless support. It's brawny and bold but the refined tannins also lend a measure of finesse." Wine Enthusiast

"The 2011 Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne shows great balance that is due, in part, to the advanced age of the vines (most of which were planted between 1967 and 1972). The wine delivers a very fine, silky quality of tannin and an elegant approach. The bouquet exhibits elements of forest fruit, crushed mineral, balsam herb and wild mushroom. The effect is graceful and nuanced." Robert Parker

"The 2011 Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne is deep, powerful and explosive. The gravitas of the old vines and the blend of fruit that incorporates fruit from the southern end of the zone in equal parts with the north comes through loud and clear. Macerated cherries, smoke, spices, leather, licorice and French oak flesh out in a dense, stylish Brunello that captures the essence of the Pacenti house style. Drink this creamy, voluptuous Brunello over the next decade or so." Antonio Galloni

"A very muscular red with plum, blueberry, walnut and dried mushroom character on both the nose and palate. Full and chewy. Fabulous fruit and intensity." James Suckling

Pacentis Brunello Vecchie Vigne 2012 radiates with attractive aromas of black berries, dark cherries and coffee. Delicious and very elegant taste with silky tannins and considerable length. Siro Pacenti is one of the most historic houses in the region and Vecchie Vigne enchants the senses with this very solid expression. SUPERIORE.DE

"Brilliant, rich ruby with a garnet shimmer. Very fragrant and compact nose, full of dark cherries, some blackberry, sparkling clean. The palate shows a beautiful play, a lot of fruit, cherries and pomegranate, opens with fine-meshed, dense tannin, builds up for a long time, salty." Falstaff

"Lustrous mid ruby. Rich but still a little reductive. The palate is in the grip of this, too, for the moment, but underneath there is truly compact, rich, tangy cherry with lots of demanding tannins and a wonderful, subtle oak note." Jancis Robinson

"Aromas of ripe fruit such as sweet strawberries and hints of orange peel and chocolate. Medium to full body, soft and velvety tannins and a flavorful finish. Riper style." James Suckling

"Giancarlo Pacenti knows his land well and is a skillful farmer, especially with regards to navigating a challenging vintage like this. The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne boasts a beautifully saturated ruby color that appears healthy and bright. The aromas are presented with precision and balance. A wine like this offers irrefutable evidence that old vines are the best remedy in a hot and dry vintage. The wine's various elements are intact and focused. Dark cherry, candied plum, exotic spice, tar and licorice form a united front." Robert Parker

"This is full of cherry and plum flavors, accented by leather, tobacco and iron notes. Solidly structured and taut, balanced and long, with a dense mix of fruit, mineral, spice and tannins on the finish." Wine Spectator

"Giancarlo Pacenti’s selection of old vines uses age and experience to add a velvety wrap around firm, crunchy, beautifully focussed tannins. This is a crowd-pleaser with brains." Decanter

Pacentis Brunello Vecchie Vigne radiates with attractive aromas of black berries, dark cherries and coffee. Delicious and very elegant taste with silky tannins and considerable length. Siro Pacenti is one of the most historic houses in the region and Vecchie Vigne enchants the senses with this very solid expression. SUPERIORE.DE

"Showing more oak definition, texture and overall fruity richness, the 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne benefits from the concentration and complexity you get with old vines. The wine wraps thickly over the palate, imparting luscious aromas of dried cherry, exotic spice, pressed rose and scorched earth along the way. This is a wine for the cellar. The bouquet has a lot to give, but this will require some extra time. All the elements are there for an excellent aging future." Robert Parker

"The nose is decadent but not overdone with plum liqueur, Christmas cake, cedar, Chinese spices, licorice, tea leaves, tar and hot stones. Full and very dense with mouth-coating tannins but also attractive fresh fruit, pretty acidity and a long finish. Rather chewy and needs time, but a beautiful follow-up to the 2012." James Suckling

"Forest floor, toasted oak, dark spice, new leather and tobacco aromas fill the glass along with a whiff of eucalyptus. The firmly structured concentrated palate shows power and finesse, offering dried black cherry, star anise, coffee bean and grilled sage alongside fresh acidity and close-grained tannins. It's still youthfully austere and will benefit with several more years spent in the cellar." Wine Enthusiast

"Bright and bursting with cherry, currant and berry flavors, this also has a tannic edge, along with tobacco and leafy underbrush notes. The two camps need to reach some sort of détente before this really sings." Wine Spectator

"From two different sites, one in the north of the region and one in the south, this sensually enticing wine has a fleshiness and a textural wealth which makes a welcome change after the near-angular refinement of some of its peers. The sweet fruits have a soft, almost milky or creamy aromatic sheen, like glove leather. On the palate, those fruits are more structured and firm: plum and pomegranate, with palpable cut and shapeliness, fresh and springy tannins and ample, poised dryness." Decanter

The Brunello Riserva PS, produced only in the best vintages and so since 2007 for the first time again in the century vintage 2010, has much to offer. Rich, structured and lively bouquet of fruits and menthol. Complex, exceptionally balanced and elegant on the palate with silky tannins and a refined finish. A very impressive wine. SUPERIORE.DE

"Bright, dark color. Still quite closed bouquet with intense, fresh top note, incredibly deep and complex in the fragrance, massive and yet highly cultivated, with sweet extract, great fullness and finest wood, impenetrable. Eternally full and wide on the tongue, full with concentrated elegance, incredibly full-bodied, but always fine and elegant, with freshness, great structure and presence. It lasts forever on the palate, with a great yield of tannins and a grandiose sweetness. The essence of an elegant and complex Sangiovese." Weinwisser

"The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva PS emerges from vines planted in the 1970s in Pelagrilli, one of the districts on the northern side of Montalcino. Deep yet translucent, the 2010 offers good intensity throughout. Dark cherry, plum, rose petal, spice, licorice and new French oak are some of the signatures. I find the oak too much, especially for this part of the Montalcino, but some readers may find more pleasure in this style." Antonio Galloni

"Linear in profile, but also dense and focused, with black cherry, black currant, tobacco, licorice and leather flavors permeating the structure. Muscular tannins and leafy eucalyptus notes ride the finish hard, but this red shows balance overall." Wine Spectator

"Incredibly perfumed and vibrant with dried berries, flowers and dried strawberries. Full body, a velvety texture and an intense and rich palate. So much richness and length." James Suckling

"Only made in the best years, the 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva PS is a phenomenal achievement. Fruit is sourced from across a five-hectare vineyard in the northern part of the appellation, but only 1,500 bottles are made using the very best fruit. This is an incredible wine that shows a promising evolution in the glass. The bouquet is fluid and graceful with a very precise and focused delivery. Dark fruit is contrasted against pressed rose, smoked spice and crushed graphite. The finish is silky and very long. Attractive tones of savory smoked meat appear at the very end." Robert Parker

The Brunello Riserva horsepower, produced only in the best vintages and so since 2007 for the first time again in the top vintages 2010 and 2012, has much to offer. Rich, structured and lively bouquet of fruits and menthol. Complex, exceptionally balanced and elegant on the palate with silky tannins and a refined finish. A very impressive wine. SUPERIORE.DE

"Powerful, luminous ruby with a garnet edge. Compact, dark berry fruit in the nose, hints of blackberry and raspberry, fine leather note in the background. On the palate very present, shows a lot of ripe fruit, a lot of cherry, some raspberry, opens with dense, fine-meshed tannin in many fancy, in the finale firm and very long persistent." Falstaff

"The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva PS is absolutely impressive, but with only 4,500 bottles made, it may not prove easy to locate. This precious expression of Sangiovese exhibits a gorgeous level of intensity and power, coupled by elegance and poise. The long presentation of aromas starts with black fruit and cherry confit and continues to crushed stone, toasted spice, cola and medicinal herb. The wine's texture sticks firmly to the palate. This Brunello ages in French oak for two years." Robert Parker

"Deep red. Smoky, torrefacted notes complicate bright red cherry and mineral aromas on the enticing nose. Then rich, ripe and round in the mouth, offering a generous, broad mouthfeel and a captivating multilayered quality to the flavors of red fruit, blood orange and underbrush. The finish is long and supple." Ian d’Agata (vinous.com)

"A modern style, exuding coffee, vanilla, cherry and tobacco flavors. Vibrant, offering grip and picking up mineral accents as this winds down on the finish. An elegant, minerally red under the oak." Wine Spectator

The Brunello Riserva horsepower, produced only in the best vintages and so since 2007 for the first time again in the top vintages 2010 and 2012, has much to offer. Rich, structured and lively bouquet of fruits and menthol. Complex, exceptionally balanced and elegant on the palate with silky tannins and a refined finish. A very impressive wine. SUPERIORE.DE

"Powerful, luminous ruby with a garnet edge. Compact, dark berry fruit in the nose, hints of blackberry and raspberry, fine leather note in the background. On the palate very present, shows a lot of ripe fruit, a lot of cherry, some raspberry, opens with dense, fine-meshed tannin in many fancy, in the finale firm and very long persistent." Falstaff

"The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva PS is absolutely impressive, but with only 4,500 bottles made, it may not prove easy to locate. This precious expression of Sangiovese exhibits a gorgeous level of intensity and power, coupled by elegance and poise. The long presentation of aromas starts with black fruit and cherry confit and continues to crushed stone, toasted spice, cola and medicinal herb. The wine's texture sticks firmly to the palate. This Brunello ages in French oak for two years." Robert Parker

"Deep red. Smoky, torrefacted notes complicate bright red cherry and mineral aromas on the enticing nose. Then rich, ripe and round in the mouth, offering a generous, broad mouthfeel and a captivating multilayered quality to the flavors of red fruit, blood orange and underbrush. The finish is long and supple." Ian d’Agata (vinous.com)

"A modern style, exuding coffee, vanilla, cherry and tobacco flavors. Vibrant, offering grip and picking up mineral accents as this winds down on the finish. An elegant, minerally red under the oak." Wine Spectator

The Brunello Riserva PS, produced only in the best vintages and so since 2007 for the first time again in the century vintage 2010, has much to offer. Rich, structured and lively bouquet of fruits and menthol. Complex, exceptionally balanced and elegant on the palate with silky tannins and a refined finish. A very impressive wine. SUPERIORE.DE

"Bright, dark color. Still quite closed bouquet with intense, fresh top note, incredibly deep and complex in the fragrance, massive and yet highly cultivated, with sweet extract, great fullness and finest wood, impenetrable. Eternally full and wide on the tongue, full with concentrated elegance, incredibly full-bodied, but always fine and elegant, with freshness, great structure and presence. It lasts forever on the palate, with a great yield of tannins and a grandiose sweetness. The essence of an elegant and complex Sangiovese." Weinwisser

"The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva PS emerges from vines planted in the 1970s in Pelagrilli, one of the districts on the northern side of Montalcino. Deep yet translucent, the 2010 offers good intensity throughout. Dark cherry, plum, rose petal, spice, licorice and new French oak are some of the signatures. I find the oak too much, especially for this part of the Montalcino, but some readers may find more pleasure in this style." Antonio Galloni

"Linear in profile, but also dense and focused, with black cherry, black currant, tobacco, licorice and leather flavors permeating the structure. Muscular tannins and leafy eucalyptus notes ride the finish hard, but this red shows balance overall." Wine Spectator

"Incredibly perfumed and vibrant with dried berries, flowers and dried strawberries. Full body, a velvety texture and an intense and rich palate. So much richness and length." James Suckling

"Only made in the best years, the 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva PS is a phenomenal achievement. Fruit is sourced from across a five-hectare vineyard in the northern part of the appellation, but only 1,500 bottles are made using the very best fruit. This is an incredible wine that shows a promising evolution in the glass. The bouquet is fluid and graceful with a very precise and focused delivery. Dark fruit is contrasted against pressed rose, smoked spice and crushed graphite. The finish is silky and very long. Attractive tones of savory smoked meat appear at the very end." Robert Parker