CASE PRICE = $269.99 per bottle (add 12+ quantity to your basket)
Notes from the Winemaker:Valdicava makes some of the most intense, richly flavored Brunelloʼs coming out of Montalcino today. Vincenzo Abruzzeseʼs ancestors once worked this land as sharecroppers. His 2004 Brunello di Montalcino is simply beautiful. Firm but silky tannins frame a core of ripe dark fruit as this powerful yet elegant Brunello opens up in the glass. Smoke, cured meats, earthiness and graphite develop in the glass, adding further complexity. Sweet roses and spices linger on the long, refined finish. This is a big, structured Brunello, and like all of Abruzzesesʼs wines, it needs at least a few years of bottle age before it offers its finest drinking. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024. Valdicavaʼs 2004 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del Piano is an incredibly nuanced, refined Brunello made in a less obvious style than the 1999 or the 2001 although it shares some stylistic similarities with those vintages. Today the wine presents a weightless, almost Burgundian personality, although it should fill out over the next few years. This is an utterly convincing, spellbinding Madonna del Piano that relies more on elegance and finesse rather than sheer power. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2026. (Antonio Galloni Wine Advocate November, 2008).
Ratings & Reviews
100 Points - James Suckling2006 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino Madonna del Piano: Even though this will not be on the market until March, it shows such amazing structure of firm tannins that are super polished and rich. Itʼs full bodied with an incredible richness, intensity and energy. Thereʼs such purity and precision to this wine. What great power and balance. I love the character of dark fruits, wet earth and porcini mushrooms. Perfect clarity to this wine. How can Brunello be better than this?
August 26th 2011
95 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2005 vintage)Don’t let the firm tannins fool you, the 2005 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del Piano is a stratospheric wine. It is one of the most powerful, intense and brooding wines of the vintage yet everything is miraculously in place. Dark cherries, licorice, new leather and flowers gradually emerge from a wall of unyielding tannins. With time in the glass the wine’s inner perfume gradually emerges. Smoke, tar, scorched earth and a host of dark, brooding flavors mark the long, powerful finish. Readers will need to be patient here, but the 2005 Madonna del Piano will deliver the goods. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2035.
93 Points - Wine Enthusiast Magazine (2005 vintage)Madonna del Piano Riserva’s rich elements of barbecue smoke and spice add background nuances to black fruit and mature cherry. But what really sets this Brunello apart is the smoothness of its silky texture. — M.L. (4/1/2011) — 93
