Tricerchi Brunello di Montalcino 2019

This 2019 Brunello di Montalcino is lifted, fresh, and savory in style, with an earthy blend of flowery undergrowth and crushed rocks before giving way to dried strawberries. Displaying a vibrant ruby hue, it opens with a pleasant inner sweetness and creamy textures. Fresh acidity enlivens its red fruits and rosy inner florals. Violet and lavender florals linger through the long perfumed finale as a hint of fine tannins tug at the palate. A true triumph, as Castello Tricerchi did a fantastic job of maintaining the radiance of the year in this beautiful and expertly balanced Brunello.

Tricerchi’s Brunello is a blend of fruit from three different vineyards: Vigna del Velo, Vigna del Castello, and Vigna dei Cipressi, with a varying range of exposures. After picking in early October, fermentation is carried out with indigenous yeasts, mostly in steel. Maceration is for a total of about 30 days on the skins. After pressing, the wine is aged in large neutral oak barrels for about 30 months.

The Castello di Tricerchi was built in the far north of the Brunello di Montalcino appellation in 1441, and is still owned by the the Squarcia family, who built it. The vines were planted in 1995, a little more than a century after the first commercial examples of Brunello were produced by the Biondi-Santi family. The vineyards surround the castle, and the winemaking is done in a former dungeon beneath it, where conditions are perfectly cold and humid.

Tommaso Squarcia, a young scion of the family, has made it his mission to perfect the wines of the Castello using completely traditional winemaking methods to allow the vineyards to fully express themselves. The wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts, macerated on the skins for longer than normal, and aged in large oak barrels. The estate converted to certified organic production in 2022. Total production is around 5000 cases a year.