Located in the heart of Tuscany, Montalcino is about 24 miles north of Siena, Italy.
Wines made in the area include Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino, Moscadello di Montalcino, Sant'Antimo Bianco, Sant'Antimo Vitgni Bianchi, Sant'Antimo Rosso and Sant'Antimo Vitgni Rossi. Brunello di Montalcino is made exclusively of Sangiovese and bears the D.O.C.G.

Looking at my scores for the Brunellos, the 1999 and 2001 vintages seem better than the 2000. But the 2000 is much more approachable (esp. compared to the 2001s) at this time.

It was really great to taste so many Montalcino's at one time; I can conclude the Brunellos aren't great young and require finding a producer whose style you like best. There were a few excellent Rosso's and these I may seek out. Seven producers really stood out to me: Tenuta Caparzo, Col D'Orcia, Il Poggione, Pian dell'Orino, Solaria, La Lecciaia, and Valdicava. (The tasting notes are Joanne's, the bottles desired (right column) are mine.) Joanne seemed to like the unoaky Brunello's and the fruitier Rosso's she was a fan of Tenuta Caparzo, La Gerla (no US importer yet) and Valdicava but agreed that the Col D'Orcia Poggio al Veneto Riserva Brunello di Montalcino was spectacular. She really liked the winemaker at Pian dell'Orino's style. - Jack

Year	Producer	Wine	Joanne's Tasting Notes	Jack's No. of Bottles Desired
2003	Barbi	Rosso di Montalcino	Oaky with a slightly bitter center.	2
2000	Barbi	Brunello di Montalcino	Medicinal nose.	1
2001	Barbi	Brunello di Montalcino	Sour finish. Young.	2
2000	Barbi	Brunello di Montalcino Riserva	Slightly sour finish. Good fruit. Young.	3?
2004	Camigliano	Rosso di Montalcino	Very fruity. Creamy fruit.	1
2000	Camigliano	Brunello di Montalcino	Sweet nose. Sweet fruit. Sweet finish. Drinkable now.	2-3
2001	Camigliano	Brunello di Montalcino	Dry. Red fruit on finish. Good.	1
2003	Camigliano	Sant’Antimo	100% Cabernet. Some herbs. Hard. Finish. Very nice wine. Good acids. Young.	3
2004	Casanova di Neri	Rosso di Montalcino	Very tart Almost slightly effervescent finish.	1-2
2000	Casanova di Neri	Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova	A bit of over-ripeness on finish. Very tannic center. Good fruit. Maybe a bit watery on finish.	2-3
2001	Casanova di Neri	Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova	A lot of oak. Heavy wood on finish. No.	3
2000	Casanova di Neri	Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto	A bit of sourness. Tannic center.
2003	Casanova di Neri	Sant’Antimo PietradOnice	The first bottle was corked. 90% Cab. 10% Sangiovese. Sweet finish. Ok. Cherries.	2?
2003	Col D’Orcia	Rosso di Montalcino	Grilled strawberries. Slight bitterness on finish.	2
2002	Col D’Orcia	Banditella Rosso di Montalcino	Single Vyd. Light oak on nose. A lot of oak/vanilla notes.	3
2001	Col D’Orcia	Brunello di Montalcino	Good acids. Fresh. Clean. Good fruit. Good!	2-3
2000	Col D’Orcia	Brunello di Montalcino	Sweet nose. Slightly sweet finish. Some bitterness but approachable.	3-4
1999	Col D’Orcia	Brunello di Montalcino	Harder. Grilled cherries. More concentration. Slightly bitter finish.	3
1998	Col D’Orcia	Poggio al Veneto Riserva Brunello di Montalcino	Dried strawberries. Strawberries and chocolate. They described it as “the most traditional Brunello on the market.”	6-12
1998	Col D’Orcia	Pascena Moscadella di Montalcino - Late Harvest	Light delicious. Great!
2003	Fanti	Rosso di Montalcino	Very red cherry. Really really fruit.	2
2003	Fanti	Sant’Antimo Rosso di Montalcino	Really interesting. Tannic finish. Blueberry!	3+
2001	Fanti	Brunello di Montalcino	Oaky but somewhat integrated. Good acids and fruit.	3-4
2004	Il Poggione	Rosso di Montalcino	Dry. Dried fruit with hard acids.	1-2
2003	Il Poggione	Rosso di Montalcino	A bit of raisins. Dry. A little hard.	2-3
2001	Il Poggione	Brunello di Montalcino	Dry. Young. Hard to judge. Tight.	2+
2000	Il Poggione	Brunello di Montalcino	More concentration. Almost too much. Acids harsh. Young. Hard to judge.	3-4
1999	Il Poggione	Brunello di Montalcino Riserva	Dried fruit. Hard. Good fruit. Very young.	3-5?
1998	Il Poggione	Vin Santo	5 years in barrel. Good.
2004	La Fortuna	Rosso di Montalcino	Hard edge. Lots of fruit. Good balance. Ok.	1?
2003	La Fortuna	Sant’Antimo Rosso	50/50 Cab/Sangiovese. Awful. Still effervescent. Jack liked it much better.	2-3
2001	La Fortuna	Brunello di Montalcino	Intense fruit. Good concentration. Pretty balanced.	2-3?
2000	La Fortuna	Brunello di Montalcino	Even better fruit than the ‘01/  Slight bitterness. More friendly than the ‘01	3
1999	La Fortuna	Brunello di Montalcino Riserva	Searing acids. Joanne suspects it is corked.	1?
2003	La Gerla	Rosso di Montalcino	Lots of berries - Raspberries. Slightly bitter. Likeable.	1-3
2001	La Gerla	Brunello di Montalcino	Lots of berries. Good fruit	1-2
1999	La Gerla	Angeli Brunello di Montalcino Riserva	Single vyd. Good fruit. Slightly watery finish.	3
2001	La Gerla	Angeli Brunello di Montalcino Riserva	Almost fresh meat. Sausage. Really unique flavors. Good.	4
2001	La Lecciaia	Rosso di Montalcino	Oak on nose. Good fruit. Perhaps a bit of over-ripeness.	3+
2001	La Lecciaia	Brunello di Montalcino	Lots of fruit and acids. Delicious. Drink now.	2-3
2001	La Lecciaia	Brunello di Montalcino Manapetra	Interesting flavors. Almost  a salty finish. Black fruit. Good concentration	4+
2003	La Mannella	Rosso di Montalcino	Sweet nose. Strawberries. Lots of fruit. Great.strawberry jam finish.	2
2000	La Mannella	Brunello di Montalcino	Wow. Young. Great fruit and elegance. Really balanced.
2003	La Pescaia	Rosso di Montalcino	Raspberry flavors. Fruity. Good.	2+
2001	La Pescaia	Brunello di Montalcino	Harder. Good fruit hiding under tannins. Young..	?
1999	La Pescaia	Brunello di Montalcino	Medicinal notes. Tannins integrated but show on finish. Nice wine. Good.	3+
2003	La Velona	Rosso di Montalcino	Too sweet. Lots of fruit.	2-3
2002	La Velona	Sant’Antimo Mefysto Rosso	Sangiovese/Merlot. Sweet. Good Fruit. Clean acids. A bit watery on the finish.	2
2000	La Velona	Brunello di Montalcino	Hard. Good but young and hard to judge.	3
2003	Lazzeretti	Rosso di Montalcino	Lots of medicinal flavors. Joanne did not like the style of this winery.	2-3
2001	Lazzeretti	Brunello di Montalcino	Oak and mustiness. Is this wine corked? Tight hard and tannic with fruit hidden underneath.	3
2002	Le Machioche	Rosso di Montalcino.	Sweet nose. Good acids. Bitter finish. No.	0
2001	Le Machioche	Brunello di Montalcino	Bright acids. Almost a chemical finish.	1
2000	Le Machioche	Brunello di Montalcino	Still that chemically tasting finish.	2-3
2004	Pian dell'Orino	Rosso di Montalcino	Dark meaty fruit. Good acids on finish. Yum.	2-3
2000	Pian dell'Orino	Brunello di Montalcino	Tight. Fruit veiled. Very dry finish. A little bitter. Good.	3
2001	Pian dell'Orino	Brunello di Montalcino	More accessible than the ‘00. Good fruit. Drinkable now.	4+
2004	Poggio Antico	Rosso di Montalcino	Musty nose but not corked. Good acids. Harder style - not so much fruit. Good acids on finish	1+
2001	Poggio Antico	Altero Brunello di Montalcino	Modern style. 2 years in oak. Hard tannic. But somewhat balanced.	3
2001	Poggio Antico	Brunello di Montalcino	Traditional style - 3 years in oak. Slightly herbal. Richer. More balanced.	2+
2000	Poggio Antico	Brunello di Montalcino Riserva	Aged 5 years in barrel. Complex. Intense flavors. Good balance.
2003	Solaria	Rosso di Montalcino	Oak but good fruit.	3+
2002	Solaria	Rosso di Montalcino	Slightly raspberry	0-1
2000	Solaria	Brunello di Montalcino	Hard. Oak on finish.	4
2001	Solaria	Brunello di Montalcino	Dry. Tannic - but fruit is there.	3+?
2004	Tassi	Rosso di Montalcino	Inaugural vintage. 14% new oak. Barnyardy. No.	0
2003	Tenuta Caparzo	La Grance Sant’Antimo Bianco	Sauvignon Blanc/Chardonnay/Gewurztraminer blend. Huge acids but clean. Really interesting wine.	1
2000	Tenuta Caparzo	Brunello di Montalcino	Good fruit. Slightly sweet. Really balanced. Strawberry.	3+
2001	Tenuta Caparzo	Brunello di Montalcino	Really good. Balanced. Not so much fruit.	2-3+
2000	Tenuta Caparzo	La Casa Brunello di Montalcino	Nutmeg on top notes. Clean Balanced.	3
1999	Tenuta Caparzo	La Casa Brunello di Montalcino	Good acids. Curranty. Dark currants. Needs lots of opening time. Harder to judge	2-4
2001	Uccelliera	Brunello di Montalcino	Tannic center. Fruit on finish.	1+
2004	Uccelliera	Rosso di Montalcino	Good. Really bright lush fruit. Bing cherries.	1
2003	Valdicava	Rosso di Montalcino	Drinkable now - but tight. Try in 2 years. Sweet nose. A lot of wood. Very young. Sweet finish.	3
2001	Valdicava	Brunello di Montalcino	Intense. Good concentration. Good acids.	3
1999	Valdicava	Brunello di Montalcino	Great curranty lush fruit. Earthy nose and center.	6
1999	Valdicava	Madonna del Piano Brunello di Montalcino	The single vineyard Riserva. Minerals. Harder style. Grilled cherries.	3+

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