As of today, the 2006 Brunello di Montalcino and the newest bottling of our Rosso del Palazzone are officially available in the US!  By now, the secret is out that 2006 was a great vintage in most of Tuscany.  Awarded the maximum five stars by the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino, this vintage is a classic for Brunello and has set the standard high for years to come. Our 2006 Brunello spent 39 months wood aging in large, Slavonian oak barrels before being bottled on September 14, 2010.  Only 8,313 bottles were produced of the 2006 Brunello, which has a characteristically deep ruby red color with deep garnet hues.

Wine Spectator Insider and Wine Advocate both awarded it 90 points, with Wine Advocate saying that it “shows lovely inner perfume and a rich, textured personality that makes it an excellent choice for drinking over the near-term. Sweet floral notes intermingle with spices and vanillin from the oak on the generous finish. This is one of the more engaging, accessible wines of the vintage.”  Tom Hyland called it “supremely elegant” and Wine Enthusiast continued the praise by saying that “Il Palazzone offers a compact, streamlined interpretation of Brunello with a bright ruby color and crispness that helps keep the palate refreshed sip after sip. It offers lingering tones of black licorice, cola, mature fruit, cassis and dried raspberry.” This is a very intricate and elegant wine that shows enormous potential for further bottle aging. When you pick yourself up a bottle, you may notice that in our quest to be ecologically mindful, we have switched to a lightweight bottle and technologically forward, we have incorporated a QR code on the back label, linking to our new mobile friendly website.

Along with the arrival of the 2006 Brunello comes the second bottling of our Rosso del Palazzone, formerly our Vino Da Tavola and now classified as Vino Rosso.  This year’s bottling, completed on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2011, is an equal combination of our 2007, 2008 and 2009 Brunello grapes that we declassified from Brunello status to produce the Rosso del Palazzone.  Because the grapes have received the same care on the vine as the grapes in our Brunello and all spent various amounts of time aging in wood, the result is a “baby” Brunello, with all the characteristics of Montalcino and Sangiovese, but with the fruit, freshness and approachability of a Rosso di Montalcino.  With only 2,400 bottles imported into the US, this wine is also sure to be in high demand. The wine is imported in the US by Domaine Select, though if you don’t see it in your local wine store, be sure to ask the store clerk about it.  Most stores are happy to do special orders if you are looking for a particular wine.