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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.7 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 77 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Beachfan on 12/5/2020 & rated 93 points: Super Brunello, a little more creosote than last time so although still vibrant maybe it’s time. (2255 views) | | | Tasted by Vascular46 on 11/6/2020 & rated 93 points: Soft tannins and black cherry fruit. Probably slightly past peak but still very pleasurable. (1729 views) | | | Tasted by Justinneal654 on 3/8/2020 & rated 94 points: Exceptionally delicious Brunello. Alive with the mushroom and dank qualities of a well aged, well constructed wine.
It was stunning with the ribeyes. An absolutely stunning pairing with perfectly integrated tannins, earthy layers, and Herbal qualities that served up a symphony of flavors. (2133 views) | | | Tasted by europat55 on 6/27/2019 & rated 90 points: Nose: A- Palate: B+
My #6, Group's #4 (83 pts). Tasted blind in a flight of Altesino Brunellos from 1988-2001 (2427 views) | | | Tasted by srh on 12/21/2018: Friday Tasting Group: My 1st "Killer Bar" (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): 5,000 cases made
N: Slight earthiness, then vanilla, with cherries underneath?
P: LM body; LOVELY, almost swtish frt BEAUTIFULLY counterbalanced by an acidity which seamlessly transitions into a LONG, balanced finish with a tangy/swtness to the very, VERY fine tannins. For now & probably making its 30th. 13.5% ABV; My EXC+/Exceptional-. 96 pts WS (Suckling), 93 WA, & 14/20 Vinum. [*Thank* you for this selection, José!]
Interestingly, most of the comments I heard felt this was a Burgundy. (2882 views) | | | Tasted by Beachfan on 12/20/2018 & rated 95 points: At casa nostra with the Shulman (1458 views) | | | Tasted by JuliannaDHS on 10/27/2018 & rated 90 points: From a vertical tasting, '95, '97, '99, '01, '07.
Prominent and familiar acidity across all vintages. Faded color; subtle fruit flavors and some earth/forest aromas. Nice but seems to be getting long in the tooth. (1505 views) | | | Tasted by pryby on 7/2/2018 & rated 88 points: (At The Grill NYC)
Tart cherry, some sous-bois. Tannins fully integrated. Not much nose, not much finish. Nice, but not memorable.
Feels like this is on the downhill run... (1624 views) | | | Tasted by Nanda on 11/3/2017 & rated 83 points: Gary's Intro Retro -- Italia!: Served double blind. I found the nose here tired with older fruit and rust notes. The palate is tighter with loads of acidity. Can't much depth out of it outside of mature sour cherry. Meh. My #5, group's #5. (2351 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 11/3/2017 & rated 91 points: Chicago Wine Flock...Gary Goes Italian (Chez Weber - Chicago IL): Double blind in Altesino flight. Black cherry with floral elements and charming earthy notes and subtle savory spice. Harmonious and elegant with moderate power. I liked this more than most of the others in the group tonight. (2482 views) | | | Tasted by Oskiwawa on 3/4/2017 & rated 91 points: Opened and let breathe in the bottle for 2 hours. Drank over the next 90 minutes
Ruby red color with a slight brown tinge. This bottle was drinking really nice now. Tannins fully integrated. Soft mouth feel. Typical BdM profile with predominat cherry. The finish was a bit weak coming across as slightly watery. If this bottle it typical, I would drink them up over the next 2-3 years. (2745 views) | | | Tasted by clairenclarence on 12/17/2016 & rated 93 points: nose:cherry.plum,meat,stemmy,floral,leather
palate:leather,plum,savoury,floral,seems to have a thin line of mineral,,slight puckering tannins,dried prunes,hint of mushroom.
conclusion:should improve with more aging (2613 views) | | | Tasted by ozyloy on 12/13/2016 & rated 94 points: Splash decanted.
Clear, medium ruby with a garnet rim. Legs.
An expressive nose of aged meat, wild flowers, sweet red cherries, earth and leather. Oddly enough, after some air, the nose developed very pronounced notes of fresh barnyard and arterial blood.
Medium(+) acidity, full body. Medium(+) flavour intensity with red cherries, iron minerality, leather and meaty notes. Medium integrated tannins, and a long finish.
A beautiful wine with great balance. Drinking very well now. The evolving nose was a little odd though, especially given its age - usually the barnyard notes on the nose would recede with air, not the other way round..? (2223 views) | | | Tasted by Derek Darth Taster on 12/13/2016 & rated 95 points: Mini Brunello Night (Extra Space): Year after year of this same bottle. Another solid showing.
Poured into decanter and drank over 2.5 hours.
Appearance is clear, medium intensity, ruby colour with garnet rim. Legs.
Nose pronounced intensity, with aromas of funky earth, leather, meat, red cherries, some sweet tea leaves. Developed. With more air, the nose became somewhat explosively barnyardy with dirty horse stable - in a good way - enjoyable to me.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol, firm medium+ tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of savoury earth, meat, leather, sweet red cherries, red plums. Long finish.
Very good quality. (2415 views) | | | Tasted by mxpbuy on 1/19/2016 & rated 93 points: A wonderful example from this producer. At its peak and showing wonderfully. Rich red fruits, forest floor, nice acidity but also very smooth. (2710 views) | | | Tasted by AtoZ on 1/19/2016: I liked this a lot. Classic. Reminded me of old chianti. (2024 views) | | | Tasted by M DU VIN on 7/9/2015 & rated 90 points: Seems to be drying out. Time to drink up? (2548 views) | | | Tasted by D. Fulton on 5/31/2015 & rated 93 points: Fill vts. Lots of dark, dark fruit on the palate and really quite Bordelais in character with good, multilayered complexity. Although lacking any sense of terroir or even varietal expression, this isn't a wholly unsuccessful presentation of what for most estates was a typical and classic vintage. Drink over the next few years. (2461 views) | | | Tasted by Derek Darth Taster on 5/6/2015 & rated 95 points: Back Vintage Wine Night (Extra Space): Poured into decanter and drank over 2 hours.
This was really very tight initially and needed almost the full 2 hours before it began to show itself.
Appearance is clear, medium intensity, garnet colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of earth, soy sauce, slight mushroom, horse saddle, used leather. Developing.
On the palate, dry, medium+ acidity, medium+ alcohol, firm medium+ tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of savoury earth and meat, worn leather, sweet ripe red cherries, red plums. Long finish.
Very good quality. Nice Brunello, drink now with long aeration time in decanter. Otherwise, keep for another 5 years before re-exploring. No hurry to drink this up at all. (3712 views) | | | Tasted by WoodieBayArea on 8/21/2014 & rated 92 points: this wine was fine but not great on opening (noon'ish), reticent nose and palate was a bit tight and sharp, dbl decant and then had around 7pm and it was really good, big amounts of spice and acid and grippy tannin but enough fruit had come forward to create some nice balance, definitely med- to full-bodied and while definitively old world in style it was big, perhaps this wine has another 10-15 years of positive development… almost tasted more '97 than '95 due to its "size" (2928 views) | | | Tasted by Derek Darth Taster on 3/19/2014 & rated 94 points: Italian Wines < 2000 vintage (Extra Space): Tasted blind. Apparently opened and slow-oxed in bottle for 3 hours before drinking.
Appearance is medium intensity, light brown colour. Lots of fine sediments.
Nose is clean, pronounced intensity, with aromas of red fruits and floral ?rosebush scents.
On the palate, high acidity, nice firm tannins, full body and long finish. Flavours of spice on the entry, earthy minerality, cherries and plums. Fruits increased on both the nose and palate with more air over the course of the night.
I guessed a late 80s to early 90s traditional-styled Brunello. Spot on except for the vintage. This feels a little older than it is. Drinking nicely now, no need to keep for much longer. (3991 views) | | | Tasted by johnbhamrick on 2/15/2014 & rated 94 points: A wonderful, wonderful Brunello. Perfectly formed and well developed tannins and fruits. I bought 2 bottles in 2010. Drank one is 2012. This was the final one. The wine has lots of earthliness taste. Definitely an Old World style wine. I wish I could find more of these. I paid $96 per for the 2 bottles I bought. What a bargain!!! (2886 views) | | | Tasted by cooberp on 1/15/2014 & rated 90 points: This wine is an archetypal example of the secondary character of aged Sangiovese. The nose is full of old-wine complexity--it's as earthy-smelling as anything I've come across, and at various points I picked up licorice, leather, smoke, paprika, and herbs, though obviously there's some overlap between those scents. There's only the slightest hint of bitter fruit left. It's extremely advanced for a wine of this pedigree still short of its 20th birthday--I'd suspect poor storage, except that the cork was clean, the fill was good, there were no roasted or stewed or oxidized notes whatsoever, and it was very consistent with a 1990 tasted earlier this year. (That wine came from a somewhat riper, superior vintage that provided a bit more stuffing, but provided a similarly cerebral experience.) There's decent acid and an occasional touch of tannin, but I think this is already on its downslope. I'd be interested to try a younger Montosoli to see if I can find my sweet spot on the aging curve of this prestigious single vineyard. (3158 views) | | | Tasted by Rani on 11/16/2013 & rated 92 points: Tasted blind. Lots of black fruit, mushrooms and earth. Tight, lots of acidity and tannins, sinewy. (3136 views) | | | Tasted by Yagil on 10/3/2013 & rated 93 points: Sextet, that became a Septet, 4th meeting: Super Tuscan evening (at Yoram's): A wonderful and enjoyable BDM (2737 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Altesino Producer website
U.S. Importer (addt'l info)
Source: VinConnect http://vinconnect.com
The Altesino winery overlooks the breathtaking UNESCO-heritage landscape of south-central Tuscany in the Montalcino region not far from Siena. Its beautiful estate is crowned with the 15th century Palazzo Altesi, which is the centerpiece of its winery operations. Additional modern winemaking structures are integrated into the hillside alongside it.
Altesino’s flagship wine is its single-vineyard Brunello di Montalcino “Montosoli,” made from 100% Sangiovese grapes cultivated in its most prestigious vineyard. An ambassador for Italian wine around the world and one of Montalcino’s most sought-after wines, the “Montosoli” Brunello repeatedly earns glowing reviews from the world’s top wine publications. Robert Parker called Altesino’s Montosoli “one of the most distinct and profound wines, with delicate floral and mineral nuances that are elegantly interwoven within a thicker textural consistency.” As Altesino’s flagship wine it best exemplifies the unrivaled elegance, richness and drinkability of the estate’s style.
Altesino embodies tradition and history, and at the same time perceptive innovation. Where international renown for Brunello di Montalcino has nudged many winemakers towards conservatism, Altesino has always blazed new wine trails. Founded in 1972 by Milanese entrepreneur Giulio Consonno, in 1975 the winery was the first in Brunello to introduce the concept of single-vineyard crus with its famous Montosoli bottling. The winery was also the first to experiment with French barrique in 1979, yielding wines with more fruit and complexity – a critical turning point in Brunello’s history. And, in 1985, Altesino pioneered the concept of futures in Brunello, or the selling of wines before they are bottles or released.
When Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini bought the winery in 2002, her decision to keep the only winemaker that Altesino has ever known, Claudio Basla, was central to their ongoing success delivering consistently high quality wines in the Altesino style. To supplement the team she hired Guido Orzolesi, who works as Marketing Director alongside Claudio and Enologist Paolo Caciorgna.
In addition to the Montosoli and the regular Brunello and Brunello Riserva made from Sangiovese, the team also grows several other varieties and produces Rosso di Montalcino, Super Tuscans Palazzo Altesi and Alte d’Altesi, Rosso and Bianco I.G.T., Vin Santo d’Altesi, and a selection of grappa, brandy, and extra virgin olive oil.
Should you visit Tuscany, tours of Altesino’s vineyards and cellar — bringing you through the vine rows before you visit the winemaking and maturation cellars — can be arranged here.SangioveseSANGIOVESE: (Pronounced "sahn-joh-vhe-se").
Sangiovese - Italy's claim to fame, the pride of Tuscany. Traditionally made, the wines are full of cherry fruit, earth, and cedar. It produces Chianti (Classico), Rosso di Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montepulciano, Montefalco Rosso, and many others. Sangiovese is also the backbone in many of the acclaimed, modern-styled "Super-Tuscans", where it is blended with Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc) and typically aged in French oak barrels, resulting a wine primed for the international market in the style of a typical California cabernet: oaky, high-alcohol, and a ripe, jammy, fruit-forward profile.[16]
Semi-classic grape grown in the Tuscany region of Italy. Used to produce the Chianti and other Tuscan red wines. Has many clonal versions, two of which seem to predominate. The Sangiovese Grosso clone Brunello variety is used for the dark red, traditionally powerful and slow-maturing "Brunello di Montalcino" wine. The other is the Sangiovese Piccolo, also known under the historical synonym name Sangioveto, used for standard Chianti Classico DOC wines. Old vine derived wine is often used in the better versions, needing several years ageing to reach peak. A third clone, Morellino, is used in a popular wine blend with the same name found in the southern part of the province. Recent efforts in California with clones of this variety are very promising, producing medium-bodied reds with rich cherry or plumlike flavors and aromas. Among the available clonal versions are R6 and R7, derived from the Montalcino region of Italy, having average productivity/ripening and producing small berries on medium size clusters. R10 and R24 are well-recommended. R23, listed as deriving from the Emilia-Romagna region, has good vigor with medium-small clusters with earlier ripening. R102 derives from the Montepulciano region and reported to have average vigor with moderate productivity that results in higher sugar levels and good acidity from medium-small berries on medium-small clusters. Has synonym name of Nielluccio where grown in Corsica.Montosoli On weinlagen.infoItaly Italian Wines (ItalianMade.com, The Italian Trade Commission) | Italian Wine Guide on the WineDoctorTuscany Tuscany (ItalianMade.com) | TuscanytMontalcino Montalcino websiteBrunello di Montalcino Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino (Official DOCG website) |
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