Uccelliera, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy 2019
Pickup available at DECANT Napa - 2999 Solano, Napa, CA
Usually ready in 1 hour
Founded in 1986 by Andrea Cortonesi, Uccelliera has become one of Montalcino’s most respected estates, known for crafting powerful yet refined Brunello from vineyards in the southern zone near Castelnuovo dell’Abate. The 2019 vintage exemplifies the estate’s hallmark style—rich, structured, and deeply expressive of its terroir.
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WINEMAKER: Andrea Cortonesi
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FARMING: Sustainable practices
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VARIETY: 100% Sangiovese Grosso
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TERROIR: Vineyards situated between 150–350 meters elevation on calcareous clay and marl soils in the southeastern reaches of Montalcino, near Castelnuovo dell’Abate.
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VINIFICATION: Fermented in stainless steel tanks with temperature control.
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AGING: Aged for a minimum of 24 months in a combination of large Slavonian oak casks and French barriques, followed by additional bottle aging.
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TASTING NOTES: Brooding yet intense, the 2019 Brunello di Montalcino bursts from the glass with a wave of autumnal spices, crushed cherries, cedar shavings, and steeped plums lifted by pine hints. This is deeply textural, elegant, and refined, with a dense wave of ripe wild berry fruits, all guided by vibrant acidity, offset by oranges and balsam herbs. It finishes grippy and extended with a black hole of tension and a sweet and sour sensation that lingers on and on as crunchy tannins resonate throughout.
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FOOD PAIRINGS: Ideal with grilled meats, aged cheeses, or hearty Tuscan stews.
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SCORES:
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Jeb Dunnuck: 96 – "A ripe red color, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino is expressive of its place, with warming notes of licorice, black cherries, anise, cedar, and dark soil lifting from the glass. As it opens, it becomes purer in its fruit profile, shining through beautifully. Full-bodied, with ripe tannins and a savory slanting profile, notes of espresso and mocha float across the palate, filling it with purity of fruit and lovely concentration through its long finish."
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Vinous (Eric Guido): 95 – "Brooding yet intense, the 2019 Brunello di Montalcino bursts from the glass with a wave of autumnal spices, crushed cherries, cedar shavings, and steeped plums lifted by pine hints. This is deeply textural, elegant, and refined, with a dense wave of ripe wild berry fruits, all guided by vibrant acidity, offset by oranges and balsam herbs. It finishes grippy and extended with a black hole of tension and a sweet and sour sensation that lingers on and on as crunchy tannins resonate throughout."
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Wine Advocate (Monica Larner): 95 – "The Uccelliera 2019 Brunello di Montalcino offers ripe fruit, a note of cooked blackberry and pomegranate juice. Along with oak spice and dried bay leaf, there is a spot of creaminess on the mid-palate that recalls cheese rind or aged chèvre with a crust of black pepper and thyme. That note blows off, however, and the wine returns to dried cherry with a medicinal or herbal twist. There's a lot going on. The wine needs more time in bottle to address the fine, chalky tannins."
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Founded in 1986 by Andrea Cortonesi, Uccelliera has become one of Montalcino’s most respected estates, known for crafting powerful yet refined Brunello from vineyards in the southern zone near Castelnuovo dell’Abate. The 2019 vintage exemplifies the estate’s hallmark style—rich, structured, and deeply expressive of its terroir.
-
WINEMAKER: Andrea Cortonesi
-
FARMING: Sustainable practices
-
VARIETY: 100% Sangiovese Grosso
-
TERROIR: Vineyards situated between 150–350 meters elevation on calcareous clay and marl soils in the southeastern reaches of Montalcino, near Castelnuovo dell’Abate.
-
VINIFICATION: Fermented in stainless steel tanks with temperature control.
-
AGING: Aged for a minimum of 24 months in a combination of large Slavonian oak casks and French barriques, followed by additional bottle aging.
-
TASTING NOTES: Brooding yet intense, the 2019 Brunello di Montalcino bursts from the glass with a wave of autumnal spices, crushed cherries, cedar shavings, and steeped plums lifted by pine hints. This is deeply textural, elegant, and refined, with a dense wave of ripe wild berry fruits, all guided by vibrant acidity, offset by oranges and balsam herbs. It finishes grippy and extended with a black hole of tension and a sweet and sour sensation that lingers on and on as crunchy tannins resonate throughout.
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FOOD PAIRINGS: Ideal with grilled meats, aged cheeses, or hearty Tuscan stews.
-
SCORES:
-
Jeb Dunnuck: 96 – "A ripe red color, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino is expressive of its place, with warming notes of licorice, black cherries, anise, cedar, and dark soil lifting from the glass. As it opens, it becomes purer in its fruit profile, shining through beautifully. Full-bodied, with ripe tannins and a savory slanting profile, notes of espresso and mocha float across the palate, filling it with purity of fruit and lovely concentration through its long finish."
-
Vinous (Eric Guido): 95 – "Brooding yet intense, the 2019 Brunello di Montalcino bursts from the glass with a wave of autumnal spices, crushed cherries, cedar shavings, and steeped plums lifted by pine hints. This is deeply textural, elegant, and refined, with a dense wave of ripe wild berry fruits, all guided by vibrant acidity, offset by oranges and balsam herbs. It finishes grippy and extended with a black hole of tension and a sweet and sour sensation that lingers on and on as crunchy tannins resonate throughout."
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Wine Advocate (Monica Larner): 95 – "The Uccelliera 2019 Brunello di Montalcino offers ripe fruit, a note of cooked blackberry and pomegranate juice. Along with oak spice and dried bay leaf, there is a spot of creaminess on the mid-palate that recalls cheese rind or aged chèvre with a crust of black pepper and thyme. That note blows off, however, and the wine returns to dried cherry with a medicinal or herbal twist. There's a lot going on. The wine needs more time in bottle to address the fine, chalky tannins."
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