Enjoying perfectly aged Brunello di Montalcino is truly one of life’s greatest pleasures. As these wines mature, they slowly evolve into integrated perfection, mirroring the old adage of the sum being greater than its parts. At this point, the wines become something beautiful to cherish.
Canalicchio is a top producer in the region who bottles wines only from their oldest vines for their coveted “Riserva” labeling, and it is only released after many years in oak and bottle. When you try this bottle, you will see the wonderful things that come with 11 years of aging and will understand why Brunello producers age these wines for so long. Mature Brunello of this quality and price is an extremely rare treat and we are very lucky to offer this wine to you today. Because of the limited supply of this wine, we can only allow a maximum of 6 bottles per customer.

(Please note: when receiving aged wine ideally please let rest at least 1 week before drinking.)

Located in the southern stretches of Tuscany, the larger region of Siena is home to the famous Brunello di Montalcino DOCG—the highest classification for an Italian appellation. To be as such, the wine must be made of 100% Sangiovese within the delineated area and aged for a minimum of two years in barrel, plus four months in bottle before release. This particular bottling is from grapes sourced from the Canalicchio estate's oldest vines; the grapes are fermented, then aged 36 months in barrel before a final 8 months in bottle. (About a year longer than required for Riserva). Since 1962—even before the appellation was granted DOCG status—Primo Pacenti has guided the estate to greatness. With Pacenti’s mentorship, three generations of the family diligently work the vines together with great respect for tradition, while still aiming to use certain modern techniques in order to achieve the highest quality wines possible. The Sangiovese grapes that make this wine are grown on two of the estate’s most prized vineyards—each with their own contrasting terroir to bring balance to the finished wine. Clay and marl are mixed with layers of limestone to create one of the most finessed and textured Sangioveses in Tuscany. The use of neutral Slavonian oak leaves this Sangiovese as pure as possible.

This 2004 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva has a garnet red center that quickly moves to heavy orange reflections on the rim—expressing the ideal colors of a mature Sangiovese. Once opened up, the wine shows beautifully mature aromas of dried black plum, dried red cherries, preserved red currants, dried orange peel, leather, dried tobacco, dried roses, tomato leaf,  dried herbs, wet clay, black truffle and a myriad of beautifully integrated baking spices. The palate is incredibly soft and delicate with seamless tannins; a perfect sweetness of fruit quickly integrates into layers of earthy notes similar to the nose with dried clay, leather, tobacco, roses and orange peel. 

I must stress that this wine needs a lot of air, as most aged Brunellos do. Since it has been in the bottle for so long, it takes a little while for this wine to find its balance. Don’t even think about drinking this wine before decanting it for at least 45 minutes to an hour. Right when you open this wine, it will have a fig and prune like aroma which will blow off very quickly, leaving perfectly mature Brunello aromatics, so please give it some time. Once decanted, serve at 60-65 degrees in large Bordeaux stems. Although this wine is beginning to reach its peak now, it will still taste wonderful in 5-7 years; if stored properly in a cool, temperature controlled cellar, it could even last another 10-15 years. Keep it simple and serve this incredible Brunello alongside a classic and uncomplicated Steak Florentine.