2018 Brunello di Montalcino, Tassi, Tuscany, Italy
- Red
- Dry
- Medium Bodied
- Sangiovese
Ready - youthful
- Monica Larner
- 92/100
- Audrey Frick
- 93/100
- James Suckling
- 94/100
- Eric Guido
- 91/100
Product: 20188150194
Description
This comes from a single vineyard, tucked between the River Orcia and the hilltop Castelnuovo dell’Abate at 240 metres altitude. Here, the strata of soils are mix of iron-rich clay and galestro, filled with calcareous marine fossils. The 2018 vintage gave beautiful balance, without the blocky richness of 2017. It’s undergone wild fermentation in concrete, and 30 days on skins followed by 30 months in ultra traditional Slovenian botti grandi. The colour is pale, and the nose is perfumed with cool rose. The palate shines with savoury fruit, relaxed, composed and confident with a light mineral brightness and fine earthiness. The finish is smoky and super stylish.
Drink 2023 - 2038
Berry Bros. & Rudd
Colour Red
Sweetness Dry
Vintage 2018
Maturity Ready - youthful
Grape List Sangiovese
Body Medium Bodied
Producer Tassi
Critics reviews
Monica Larner 92/100
With the white label, the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino is very lean and streamlined with easy fruit aromas of dried cherry and blackcurrant. The fruit is tart and bright but not very intense. Instead, the palate offers punchy flavors and nice energy that does not go unnoticed. Dry tannins and a light consistency give this wine an immediate, near-term drinking window. Production is 10,000 bottles.Fabio Tassi is a man in motion. He recently built a new winery with cement fermentation tanks and Slavonian casks for aging. In 2016, he introduced the Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Colombaiolo, a vineyard-designate wine, and in 2018 he started making a fun Sangiovese called Brunò (I already reviewed the current 2020 vintage). Organic production started in 2016.Drink 2024 - 2033monica_larner, Wine Advocate (March 2023)
Drink 2024 - 2033
Audrey Frick 93/100
The rich perfume of the 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino reveals a savory richness of black cherry, fresh leather, porcini, and fresh potting soil. The palate is wonderfully appealing, with supple fruit, a soft texture, fine tannins, and ripe notes of black raspberry, fresh violets or lavender, and herbes de Provence giving it a Southern Rhône-like charm. This lovely wine is drinking well now and will certainly be prime for drinking over the coming 10 or so years.Drink 2024 - 2033audrey_frick, JebDunnuck.com (March 2023)
Drink 2024 - 2033
James Suckling 94/100
A more velvety and rounded Brunello with notes of wet leather, sour cherries, salted plums, mocha and dried flowers. Juicy core of ripe fruit, framed by sleek tannins. Medium to full body. Delicious and very drinkable. Drink from 2023james_suckling, jamessuckling_com (December 2022)
Drink 2024 - 2033
Eric Guido 91/100
The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino from Tassi keeps me coming back to the glass to take in its darkly alluring mix of crushed strawberries accentuated by hints of ashen stone, curry leaf and exotic spice. This is silky smooth and polished in feel, with ripe wild berry fruits and savory herbal tones all motivated by brisk acidity. Lightly tannic yet potent and long, the 2018 finishes with impressive depth of fruit but also balance.Drink 2024 - 2030eric_guido, Vinous.com.com (October 2022)
Drink 2024 - 2033
About this wine
Sangiovese
A black grape widely grown in Central Italy and the main component of Chianti and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano as well as being the sole permitted grape for the famed Brunello di Montalcino.
Find out more
Tassi
The Tassi family have deep roots in Montalcino. They have a legacy of working the vineyards of Biondi Santi and then as beekeepers, before turning their attention back to wine. Owner Fabio Tassi is a restaurateur, running the town’s flagship Drogheria Franci restaurant, and he owns its most prolific wine shop. His exposure to, and understanding of, Brunello’s wines, vintages and vineyards are greater than most – as are his relationships with many of the great winemaking families of Italy.
Find out more