Press & Shelf Talkers

• Score: 95 Vintage 2016 Wine AdvocateThe Fossacolle 2016 Brunello di Montalcino opens to a charming level of intensity and purity. This wine really jumped out at me thanks to the chiseled and sharp quality of fruit and the lingering acidity and power one receives on the finish. It undergoes both its primary and secondary fermentation in cement and is racked into French and Slavonian oak (of various sizes) for two years. Everything just works here, and the wine delivers great harmony between its fruit, spice, acidity and structure. Production is 17,000 bottles. Shelf Talker Full Review
• Score: 94 Vintage 2016 James SucklingA full-bodied, firmly structured red with dried cranberries, dried earth, leather and smoke on the nose. Fresh and sour cherries on the palate, alongside firm, chewy and tobacco-like tannins. Better after 2024. Shelf Talker Full Review
• Score: 97 Vintage 2015 James SucklingExcellent ripeness of fruit here with glazed strawberries, blood oranges, red licorice and dried spices. Superb density and focus to the centre palate, which is layered, ornate, plush but balanced. The finish goes on and on with nutmeg, tar and saffron. Wonderful length and intensity. Drink from 2024. Shelf Talker Full Review

• Score: 93 Vintage 2015 Wine AdvocateThe Fossacolle 2015 Brunello di Montalcino shows a prominent mineral note of crushed stone and talc powder. It becomes a fitting segue to more typical aromas of wild berry fruit and balsam herbs. There is some firmness or tannic bite on the close that suggests extra cellar aging is required. Even just a few years should be enough to shave it off. This wine is tightly coiled and inward-looking at this early stage in the game. The finish is structured and angular, but it just needs to open. Shelf Talker Full Review
• Score: 92 Vintage 2015 Vinous MediaGood full red. Inviting aromas of ripe plum, red cherry nectar, leather and underbrush. Plump but graceful, with flavors of red fruit, leather and potpourri that are supported by polished tannins tapering nicely on the long, saline finish. In keeping with the warm year, this showy wine is round and creamy but slightly less well delineated than some past vintages of Fossacolle. Shelf Talker Full Review
• Score: 92 Vintage 2014 James Suckling“Complex aromas of plums, fresh leather and flowers follow through to a medium to full body, firm and chewy tannins and a juicy finish. Solid still. Drink or hold.” Shelf Talker Full Review
• Score: 94 Vintage 2013 Wine & Spirits Magazine“Sergio Marchetti and his family became owners of this small estate near Tavernelle, southwest of Montalcino, when the former owner gifted the land to him. Marchetti continues to manage the ten vineyard acres while his son-in-law, Adriano Bambagioni, makes the wines. The estat’es 2013 Brunello is immensely appealing, plush with soft cherry fruit and tarragon notes wrapped in fine, firm tannins. The wine takes on notes of damp earth and subtle spices as it sits in the glass, feeling cool and balanced.” Shelf Talker Full Review
• Score: 92 Vintage 2013 Vinous Media“Good deep ruby-red. Spicy aromas of blackberry, licorice and coffee. Ripe, lush and deep, showing lovely lift to the violet, licorice and dark berry flavors, this finishes firmly structured and long on the aftertaste. Seems a little clenched to me in the midpalate and needs years in the cellar to expand fully.” Full Review
• Score: 89 Vintage 2013 Wine Enthusiast“The shy nose eventually reveals aromas of exotic spice, tilled soil and a whiff of dark fruit. The straightforward palate delivers Morello cherry, tobacco and cocoa alongside taut but polished tannins. Drink after 2022.” Full Review
• Score: 94 Vintage 2013 Wine Advocate“Fossacolle has produced an excellent set of new releases. At the top of the list is the 2013 Brunello di Montalcino, which exhibits a spectacular level of inner balance and positive energy. There is a level of aromatic happiness or brightness here that denotes carefully ripened Sangiovese grapes. In other words, you can taste that the fruit has not been stressed by adverse weather conditions. The 2013 vintage is indeed harmonious across the board, and this wine demonstrates that fact.” Full Review
• Score: 92 Vintage 2013 James Suckling“Aromas of cherry, coffee and orange peel follow through to a medium to full body, round and velvety tannins and a juicy finish. A delicious wine already but needs a year or two to come together.” Full Review
• Score: 93 Vintage 2012 Wine Advocate“Boasting a dark and rich color, the 2012 Brunello di Montalcino is a youthful and bright expression that still has a ways to go in terms of its evolution. The wine shows loads of primary fruit at the moment with dark fruit, cherry and black currant at the front line. The Brunello offers smoothness and softness on the palate but you also get a bright and tangy touch of that Sangiovese acidity that reminds you of the appellation’s most valuable assets.” Full Review
• Score: 92 Vintage 2012 James Suckling“Aromas of mushrooms, rose petals and strawberries follow through to a full body and soft and juicy tannins that have an big presence. Needs time in the bottle to come together. Try in 2020.” Full Review
• Score: 92 Vintage 2012 Vinous Media“Good full red. Complex aromas of red cherry, raspberry, minerals and medicinal herbs Bright, dense and juicy, with a multilayered quality to the delicately spicy red fruit flavors Finishes long and tactile with youthfully chewy tannins and repeating hints of herbs Serious Brunello that will repay laying down.” Full Review
• Score: 92 Vintage 2012 Wine Enthusiast“This opens with underbrush, sun-baked earth, spiced plum and espresso aromas. On the taut, full-bodied palate, licorice, clove and grilled herb notes accent a core of black cherry and crushed raspberry fruit. Tightly knit, fine-grained tannins suggest ageing potential. Drink 2020–2028.” Full Review