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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.9 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 26 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Eantnay on 3/31/2024 & rated 100 points: First of three bottles purchased in Nov 2021. Perfection! Decanted for three hours, but didn't really need it, as the aromas of herbs, black cherries & earthiness were leaping out of the decanter on the initial pour. Dark, rich and full-bodied; lays like velvet on the tongue, with soft sweet tannin on the finish. Served with the Homemade Lasagna course on Easter Sunday. Had to give this wine 100 points because I can't find any aspect that could have been better. Absolutely the deal of the century from LB at $49. (323 views) | | | Tasted by Mta5007 on 3/10/2024 & rated 93 points: Dark crimson to brownish red at rim. Aromas of cooked cherries, leather, earth and baking spices. On the palate still a bit tight after 30 minutes of decanting, with red cherries, plums, chocolate, earth, pepper, cedar/oak and quite a bit of earth and spice at the finish. Medium + acid. Medium + alcohol at 15%. Medium body. Still has time to reach its peak. (309 views) | | | Tasted by cblinstrub on 11/23/2023 & rated 95 points: Fantastic with thanksgiving turkey. (473 views) | | | Tasted by sfwinelover1 on 8/16/2023: Consistent with TN of about 4 months ago, if anything, half a point better as its expressiveness really stood out, not only compared to the normale from this producer of the same vintage, but perhaps a bit less fairly, to the Belguardo earlier in the week. Bang on in its drinking window with seemingly more room to run, certainly hold if not incrementally improve, but after a few of my experiences in the past year, I guess I’d be thinking if I had more bottles—I don’t—that I’d pop sooner than later, since guessing when these wines will lose steam seems increasingly to feel to me like a mug’s game. Since I only rescore when there’s a disparity, I’ll go with the system of Tim Heaton, the dean of all things Italian on CT, and say highly recommended. 94-95 (1227 views) | | | Tasted by Booger’s Wine on 4/27/2023 & rated 92 points: Very nice, but I’ve had better. (1446 views) | | | Tasted by sfwinelover1 on 4/17/2023 & rated 94 points: Second of 3, 18 months after the prior one, and this is another wine which has improved considerably with bottle age. Tannins and acidity are dialed back to a medium level, and the underbrush note has been largely replaced with a pleasant Bordelasian funkiness (which, for those not as appreciative as I of that note, burned off in a couple of hours). The wine also had more typical cab notes of dark chocolate and coffee grounds. Good off the pour but smoothing with a couple hours of air, this held constantly over 3 days and seems to have lots of life left. Very good with both a garlicky orzo and the end of my ribeye, but this is the relatively rare BdM (or sangio, for that matter) that’s at least as good as a cocktail wine as with food. If this isn’t at peak, it’s close, but if that’s the case, it’s not a bad peak to be at (not K2, but not Mt. Diablo either) and should be in very good stead through at least the rest of the decade. I have sexier ‘12 Riservas from Valdicava and Fuligni, and if this is setting the baseline, I’ll be quite happy. A solid 2.5 points better than the prior bottle. (1517 views) | | | Tasted by Rbtrage on 2/7/2023 & rated 93 points: One of the best Brunellos Ive had! (1666 views) | | | Tasted by cblinstrub on 12/19/2022 & rated 94 points: Wonderful wine. Looking forward to the next bottle. (1606 views) | | | Tasted by cblinstrub on 5/21/2022 & rated 94 points: Really great wine. Better without food but plenty of acid for aging. (1574 views) | | | Tasted by gsomers on 5/7/2022 & rated 92 points: Enjoyable lasting finish, great flavor provide nice value at our $50 price point. Glad to have another two in the cellar. Tannins are still strong, but not overpowering. Decanted, poured, and consumed with a lemony chicken pasta <Chef's kiss>. (1532 views) | | | Tasted by BrunelloBob on 4/13/2022 & rated 92 points: Pnp. Excellent. Tannins still going strong; no rush to drink (1533 views) | | | Tasted by jkvedar on 4/12/2022 & rated 92 points: Popped and poured tonight and this wine is showing very well . Sour cherry and cedar, earth on the nose. Medium bodied with good acidity and grainy but not in any way offensive tannins on the palate. The finish is long (1327 views) | | | Tasted by curiouswino42 on 2/23/2022 & rated 94 points: Drinks at the right price point. Pnp at room temp. Nose: amazingly fragrant - dense, dark berries, graphite, cedar. Texture: Chalky, velvety, solid tannin with long finish. Palate: oregano , thyme, hint of smoke & chocolate. Excellent balance. (1518 views) | | | Tasted by jkvedar on 1/7/2022 & rated 92 points: Yes, still tannic , especially right out of the bottle . With a one hour decant, however, the tannins softened and the whole thing blossomed ! Main thing on the nose is oak: cedar, vanilla , baking spice. On the palate , generous acidity as one would expect . Great pairing with Bolognese and mushroom tortellini . Finish is very respectable . (1423 views) | | | Tasted by dbast on 1/6/2022 & rated 93 points: Still some slightly grippy tannins and strong acid, but wonderful balance of brambly fruit, violets, and damp earth. Definitely showing elegance ten years in, but for my taste, my last bottles will probably be in another 2-4 years. For experienced sangiovese drinkers who love piercing acid and who have a tolerance for stronger tannins, this is drinking marvelously right now for its price. 93-94. (1454 views) | | | Tasted by thesternowl on 12/20/2021 & rated 93 points: Popped and poured; consumed over two days. Though it was still very good on Day 2, it was best on Day 1 and singing right out the gate. The the 2012 “Gemini” pours a deep garnet with a slightly brownish rim. Medium+ viscosity with very light staining of the tears. The wine is intense and beautifully perfumed, with perfectly ripened red fruits, cherry cobbler, dark plums, black tea, bergamot, sandalwood, and dry dusty earth. It sort of reminded me of a spiked Christmas fruitcake. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins; the fine and dusty type. Medium+ acid. A mix of perfectly ripened and slightly wizened cherries, dried green herbs, crushed gravel, black tea, black licorice, and spices. An incredibly compelling package that handles its weight (a hefty 15% abv) so well. These are drinking so well now and since it came across slightly more advanced on Day 2, I would drink these over the next 5 years. (1617 views) | | | Tasted by sfwinelover1 on 11/22/2021 & rated 92 points: First of 3 ($52@) from online wine clearinghouse #2. On the nose and palate, underbrush, garrigue, brambleberry, cranberry, tart cherry, plums and classic Tuscan notes of cedar, fire, spice and dry earth. Medium ruby with a garnet tinge, medium bodied, light to medium legs. Explosive acidity and tannins, no heat. Medium+ complexity, high intensity, medium+ persistence. I'm in accord with the general quantitative rating of this wine on CT but had a qualitatively completely different experience. Far from this wine being accessible, it was like chopping through tall grass, with the occasional blackberry vine thrown in, on opening, and largely continued that way through a couple of glasses during the almost 5 hours I had it open. Only with 3 more hours with additional air on night #2 did this wine open up, become more expressive and have the fruit really step forward and become really enjoyable on its own. On night #3, though, the wine seemed to flatten out, so, unlike the recent Canalicchio, this clearly can be aerated too long. Very solid with roast chicken, but likely even better with something really red, either bloody or tomato-based. At the moment, this seems to have niether the openness of many of the '12s, nor the complexity of many of the Riservas, but I'll hope that by holding at least another year or two for my next bottle, it will move in those directions. 91-92 (1625 views) | | | Tasted by Wfekeci@gmail.com on 6/13/2021: Fantastic (1838 views) | | | Tasted by Nati Winos on 4/30/2021: Let it decant an hour. Starts off quite warm, smooths over with nice fruit and chewy tannins. Graphite, light cherry. Nice. (1488 views) | | | Tasted by oldwines on 3/2/2020 & rated 92 points: Tasted at a trade tasting in NYC. This was much softer than the 2013 and 2015 Brunello’s. The vintage was more forward and it shows, but it is drinking very well right now and probably for the next half decade or more while you wait for the other vintages to come out of their shells. Classic Brunello flavor profile. (2087 views) | | | Tasted by Jochems on 9/23/2019 & rated 92 points: Dark ruby color with some hints of amber at the rim, somewhat unexpected considering the age.
Ripe dark fruit with some fresh berries, red licorice, toast and hints of violet. Very dense on the palate with chewy smooth mouth coating tannins some medium acidity and ripe fruit. The finish is long and a bit drying.
This is a big and bold wine right now and I don’t think it has the structure to develop a lot over time. Drink now - 2022.
With its high extraction/substantial oak balance it is not my favourite Brunello style (note my, many, other notes on Brunello). Nevertheless I much enjoyed this wine as such because it is not ‘over-oaked’ to my palate. (1735 views) | | | Tasted by jsisenberg on 7/25/2019: 85 euro (1436 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Eric Guido
Vinous, 2015 Brunello: The Vintage We Have Been Waiting For? (Apr 2020) (4/1/2020)
(La Serena Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva Gemini Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By James Suckling
JamesSuckling.com (1/10/2019)
(La Serena Brunello di Montalcino Gemini Riserva, Red, Italy) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and JamesSuckling.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| La Serena Producer website
U.S. Importer (Addt'l Info)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.Italy 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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