Fuligni Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva 2013 750ML

Deep garnet color with remarkable elegance and complexity, and a beautiful bouquet of marasca cherries, tobacco and mint, with a lovely, long finish. 

96pts Wine Enthusiast "Rose, wild berry, camphor and a whiff of exotic spice float out of the glass along with a hint of new leather. Radiant and loaded with finesse, the fact, elegantly structured palate delivers juicy red cherry, strawberry compote, baking spice and licorice while fine-grained tannins and vibrant acidity provide balance and support. Drink 2021-2035."

96pts James Suckling "Very intense aromas of ripe dark fruit with plums and cherries, intermingled with aged meat, warm stones and sweet, dried wood nuances. The concentrated palate has a suave and plush core with tannins building in impressive layers to hold a long, flavorful finish."

95pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate "Initially closed and shy, the 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva needs a little extra time in the glass before it starts to shine. The wine is made according to a very classic blueprint that prizes delicate primary fruit freshness, fully integrated tannins (nudged forward by Slavonian oak casks) and bright acidity. Fruit for this wine is sourced from 20-year-old vines that deliver the added extract and concentration worthy of a Riserva expression. This wine is impeccably balanced and radiant. It drinks beautifully straight out of the gate, however, it has the natural DNA to assure a graceful aging future."

All labels bear the lion of St. Marco in honor of the Fuligni's Venitian origins. The family however, has long been thoroughly Tuscan, founding the winery in 1923 round a Medici villa and a tiny country convent of the Renaissance. Maria Flora Fuligni and nephew Roberta Guerrini Fuligni have just restored the latter to its sixteenth-century purity. Its cool, cloistered tranquility supplies ideal aging conditions for these elegantly structured reds jointly orchestrated by Maria Flora, oenologist Paolo Bagaggini, and agronomist Federico Ricci. 

Besides this restoration work, the past year has seen further expansion of the vineyards (now 25 productive acres out of the total 247). Altitude varies between 1250-1480 feet above sea level. Exposure is mainly eastern and southeastern, and terrain consists of stony/clayey, hillside yields. Crops are further cut back by the vines' age (12-30 years), their densely plants, 10 to 12 years old and at a slightly lower altitude of 984 feet, on predominantly clayey terrain better suited to Merlot. The grapes are vinified separately according to cru, in a classically inspired international style. 

750ML / 14.5% ABV

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