VAL DI SUGA, BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO

TUSCANY, ITALY 2013

A few weeks ago, we offered the “baby Brunello” Val di Suga Rosso di Montalcino and the response was overwhelming, to put it mildly. Of course this was to be expected, as the wine comes from the portfolio of one of the top importers in the United States, Wilson Daniels. Although not necessarily a house-hold name for those outside of the industry, you may have heard of a few of the wineries they represent here in the States: Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, Biondi Santi and Dal Forno Romano just to name a few. As we mentioned in the previous offer, with their portfolio full of serious quality, we jumped at the opportunity for an allocation of the Brunello icon Val di Suga when it became available. Today we have their gorgeous Brunello di Montalcino as well as one of their renowned, single vineyard crus, the “Vigne Spuntali” from the 2013 vintage – a vintage that showcases “stunning, radiant” Brunellos boasting “remarkable aging potential not seen in years.” (Kerin O’Keefe, Wine Enthusiast).

As one of the most unique and innovative wineries in Montalcino, especially with focus on variations in terroir, Val di Suga is the only winery in the area that has vineyards in three different crus with three different soil types and microclimates. It is their Spuntali single vineyard that is one of the most famous sites in all of Montalcino, 15 hectares of vines acknowledged as one of the best terroir zones for Brunello. Boasting a southwest facing exposure on the Mediterranean-side of Montalcino, the soils here are on a raised ancient sea bed full of fossils and seashells millions of years old. Planted to a higher density, the Sangiovese here is rich and ripe in style, with nuanced notes of candied orange as well as sweeter tannins. As 2013 was considered a classic vintage, the Vigne Spuntali has an exceptional elegance and energy with beautiful structure to age for another two decades.

With 2013 being an “excellent vintage for Brunello di Montalcino” with the best wines being sleek and refined “with high acidity and well-integrated tannins,” (Ian D’Agata, Vinous) we were lucky enough to include the non-single vineyard Brunello di Montalcino from Val di Suga in today’s offer. Listed by Decanter as one of the top Brunellos to look out for from 2013, the wine is a blend of all three of their single vineyards, including Spuntali as well as Vigna del Lago and Poggio al Granchio, giving the wine an incredible balance of freshness, structure, body and elegance. Aged for 36 months in Slovenian oak with an additional 12 months in bottle, the Brunello offers a wonderful contrast to its single-vineyard brother, which sees 24 months in French oak as well as 24 months in bottle. For one week only, we are offering a Mix & Match opportunity to add both wines from a Brunello icon to your collection. Don’t hesitate on these.