Frescobaldi - Tenuta Castelgiocondo : Brunello di Montalcino 2017

A tightly woven version, the cherry, berry and earth flavors quickly give way to beefy tannins. Leans to the dry, tannic side in the balance, yet has fine length. Best from 2025 through 2040. 25,000 cases made, 284 cases imported.

Supple and generous in terms of acidity, with crushed-velvet textured tannins and herbal-edged red berry fruit—mouth-filling and lively. This has character and definition, still so youthful, with ripe, grippy tannins, and there’s a lovely underlying spice with touches of bitter orange peel, cinnamon and toasted cedar alongside more delicate rose and violet floral elements, all arriving in waves, one after the other, building to a harmonious and characterful crescendo on the finish. Structured and persistent, with depth and staying power. Totally captivating.

Dark-cherry and walnut aromas with some dried flowers. Cedar comes through as well. It’s full-bodied with round, juicy tannins. Needs some time to soften. Better after 2023.

It has a bright ruby-red colour. There are aromas of clover, ripe cherry, cedar wood and oranges, with leather and black tea in the background. On the palate, it has tightly woven tannins and fine resinous notes, a slight saltiness, showing a great deal of polish, and then lingering a little on the finish.

The minute you hover your nose over the gunsmoke, soy and dried roses aromatics of this glass you know how good it is, just crazy enjoyable. Brilliant quality, liquorice, tobacco, soft leather, and raspberry jam. Signature Brunello. Adored it last year, and it is holding the line even in a less celebrated vintage. One of the original producers of Brunello in the 1800s, with vineyards planted between 250-400m in altitude. Fermentation in stainless steel, ageing in barrels then bottles for a total of five years.

The Frescobaldi 2017 Brunello di Montalcino CastelGiocondo is one of those wines that has seen slight tweaks and stylistic changes over the past 10 years, going from an abundant, large-scale generic Tuscan red to a more subdued and authentic interpretation of the cool Montalcino territory. I'd say that the transition has been smooth and not obvious, unless you were especially attentive. Despite the hot-vintage character of this sample, the wine freely dispenses of wild berry, crushed stone and red rose aromas. This is an ambitious production of 300,000 bottles.