NoseOn the nose it shows alluring aromas of ripe red berries and delicate spices. blackberrycloveraspberry
FlavorOn the palate the full body is gratifying and persistent, withoutstanding minerality. Remarkable tannins, soft and creamy in texture, conferconcentration and aging potential to this wine.
Tuscany At a Glance
Region NameTuscany
Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Super Tuscans from Bolgheri are some of the world’s most famous wines and are adored by collectors, and they all hail from the gorgeous region of Tuscany.
Score: 93Vintage 2020James SucklingA crisp and fruity Brunello for this hot vintage, with vivid acidity and fine tannins. Medium-bodied, integrated and focused. Yet, it needs another two or three years to come together. Best after 2027.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 92Vintage 2020Jeb Dunnuck A deep red brick color, the 2020 Brunello Di Montalcino is expansive in the glass with notes of spiced baked red plum, fresh leather, fruitcake, forest earth, and walnut. Full-bodied, it has a hearty feel on the palate, with sanguine earth, ripe, chewy tannins, and plenty of ripe concentrated fruitcake notes through the finish. It will drink well any time over the next 6-8 years.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 94Vintage 2019James Suckling MagazineAromas of sour red cherries, fennel and lifted floral notes of lavenders and potpourri. Medium-bodied and round textured with astringent tannins. Excellent length. Healthy and balanced. Try in 2027.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 92Vintage 2018Wine AdvocateThere is a sweet side to the Fossacolle 2018 Brunello di Montalcino with candied cherry and cinnamon stick. This is a mid-weight Brunello that opens to a dark garnet color with crimson highlights that are typical of aged Sangiovese. The bouquet is rather subdued and advanced with dried cherry, redcurrant, licorice stick, pressed rose and caramel cola. The wine's intensity is moderate, and it follows through to the palate with silky tannins and a thin, medium-long finish. Some 16,000 bottles are made.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 92Vintage 2018James SucklingA juicy Brunello with aromas of dried flowers, blueberries, cherries and hazelnuts. It’s medium- to full-bodied, with fine-grained tannins and a creamy, inviting palate. Succulent fruit throughout. Drink or hold.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 93Vintage 2017Wine AdvocateThe Fossacolle 2017 Brunello di Montalcino is a solid and silky wine that manages and captures the heat and concentration of the vintage. The wine opens to some ripeness, with hints of dark cherry and baked strawberry, but these results are not heavy or overdone. Those dark fruit tones segue to spice, rum cake, wild rose and potting soil. The transitions between these various sensations are smooth, and the palate offers good structure with little astringency. The team at Fossacolle did a good job with this wine. 16,000 bottles were produced.Stefano Bambagioni and the folks at Fossacolle decided not to make Rosso di Montalcino in 2017 because yields had been greatly reduced by the hail and heat stress of the vintage. This allowed for greater control and fruit selection when making the 2017 Brunello di Montalcino reviewed here.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 90Vintage 2017James SucklingRipe berries and cherries and lots of sweetness. Dried flowers, too. Full-bodied and chewy with intense tannins and lots of fruit. It’s a big Brunello that needs time to soften. Drink in 2023.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 95Vintage 2016Wine 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 TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 94Vintage 2016James 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 TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 88Vintage 2016Vinous MediaThe 2016 Brunello di Montalcino gains freshness in the glass, yet it has a rusticity to it that won’t please all palates. Overripe strawberry and plum gives way to moist soil and animal musk. It’s silky in feel, mixing citrus-tinged tart berries and salty minerals with brisk acids. Grippy tannins settle in and hold firm, as dried red fruits and notes of tobacco linger.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 97Vintage 2015James 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 TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 93Vintage 2015Wine 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 TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 92Vintage 2015Vinous 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 TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 91Vintage 2014Wine AdvocateThis wine magically shows more warmth and sunshine than this difficult vintage gave in reality. The 2014 Brunello di Montalcino delivers extra density and a richly fibrous texture. It exceeds expectations for this difficult vintage that was plagued by rain and humidity, resulting in much weaker wines across the board. You do taste some of that leanness, but this wine performs very nicely despite the challenges. Some 12,500 bottles were made.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 94Vintage 2013Wine and SpiritsSergio 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 estate’s 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 TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 92Vintage 2004James SucklingComplex 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 TalkerFull Page Review
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