Vignavecchia
Brunello di Montalcino DOCG
Made only in select vintages, this is the estate’s smallest and most prized cru. Produced from a tiny, west-facing, 2-hectare (5 acres) vineyard planted on a steep hill in 1988, this is the winery’s oldest and most prized vineyard block.
Climate trend
The 2018 Vintage was characterized by a trend that can best be summarized in a single word: calm. The harvest started on 20th September and ended on 5th October. From the outset, nature took its time; due to a harsh winter, the season started with a slight delay compared to the norm, and vegetative growth in spring was slow and steady, thanks to cool temperatures and heavy rainfall in May and June. The hot but never scorching summer and excellent temperature ranges enabled the vines to continue their development in a very balanced manner. This calm trend was subsequently mirrored in the harvest, which was among the longest in recent years. Nature took its time, and we like to be guided by its rhythms, so we adapted by arranging a phased harvest, according to parcels and sometimes even harvesting grapes from the same plot separately, so as to wait for the perfect ripeness of the lovely grapes that this vintage has bestowed on us. The wines have undergone fermentation in the cellar, again with the same calm that typified the entire harvest, which we are certain will also characterize the ageing period. We will wait to taste them, albeit impatiently, but know that by respecting nature’s rhythms we will appreciate them even more.
Vintage rating
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Grape varieties
Sangiovese 100%
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Vineyard
Vignavecchia - 2 hectares (4.94 acres)
Harvest
Grapes are hand harvested in small 17 kg crates during the first October weeks
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Size
750 / 1.5 lt / 3 lt
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Vinification
Soft crushing of the grapes after careful selection of the berries
Ageing
30 months in lightly-toasted 600 litres tonneaux with thick staves. This is followed by at least 6 months of bottle ageing before its market release.
Fermentation
In 600 litres tonneaux
Malolactic fermentation
In 600 litres tonneaux
Awards
Wine Advocate
Opening to a medium-dark garnet color, the organic San Polo 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Vignavecchia shows both the tart fruit flavors that we saw in the annata expression as well as the gamey aromas that we saw in the selection from Podernovi. This wine represents a good middle ground with cassis, cherry and sour plum. You also get spice, leather and cured tobacco. It finishes with medium-long intensity and an acidic close. Old-vine fruit is selected over a two-hectare site, and only 3,000 bottles were released.” – Monica LarnerVinous
The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Vignavecchia lulls me in with a seductive array of sweet exotic spice accentuating medicinal cherry and dusty violet florals. It’s silky-smooth, with a dense wave of rich red fruits that coat the senses, leaving purple-tinged inner florals and chalky mineral tones to linger. This darkly enchanting Brunello finishes with impressive length and a coating of fine tannins that nicely frame the lingering notes of licorice and citrus-tinged blackberry that slowly fade. This is, yet again, a gorgeous Brunello of the vintage, courtesy of San Polo.Jancis Robinson
Maturing dark ruby with bricky rim. Cherry with hints of fruit cake and gingerbread, but with some complexity to it. Lots of supple, tangy cherry fruit and with attractive, chewy tannins and a hint of creamy oak on the finish.