Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino "Madonna del Piano" Riserva DOCG 2013
(Tuscany, Italy) - [JS 98] [WA 96] [WS 93] [VM 92+]

About this winery:
The Valdicava property lies on a high plane close to Montalcino. Wines from this area have as their signature characteristics a great balance between body and perfume. The winery dates back to 1953 when Bramante Abbruzzese was offered the opportunity to return to the property in Montalcino where his ancestors were sharecroppers centuries before. Today grandson Vincenzo Abbruzzese runs the show, producing up to 6000 cases each year with no chemical pesticides or fertilizers.

98 Points - James Suckling:
"This opens with savory, truffle and meaty aromas with a complex and quite cryptic nose that delivers a wealth of ripe plums and cherries, cedar and fresh, violet-like flowers, as well as some earthy nuances. The palate has a very sturdy, intense and power-charged core of rich plums and dark cherries, framed in quite fierce tannins that are so long. Super Brunello Riserva here with great potential. Try from 2022." (February 21, 2019)

96 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"Showing ripe and balanced fruit, the Valdicava 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del Piano (with 15,666 bottles produced) offers many very positive attributes. The wine flaunts a slightly contemporary or international side, and it does so with extreme confidence and elegance. Much of that natural balance comes directly from the classic vintage that exhibits both the structure and acidity necessary for prolonged cellar aging. Now, in the wine's youngest phase, it offers lush primary cherry and blackberry flavors followed carefully by measured spice, toast and red rose potpourri." - Monica Larner (Jan 2019)

93 Points - Wine Spectator:
"Ripe, offering cherry, plum and floral aromas and flavors, matched to a rich texture. Tobacco and iron notes emerge as this builds to a lengthy finish. A touch dry on the finish, but the sweet fruit returns in the end. Best from 2022 through 2038." - BS (April 3, 2019)

92+ Points - Vinous Media:
"Deep ruby. Slightly reticent nose hints at black cherry, herbs and flint. Then juicy and bright, with deep flavors of minerals, blueberry and red cherry, complicated by peppery herbs. Closes long with repeating mineral nuances. A sleeping giant, the fruit is having a tough time emerging currently but I’d say there’s plenty there, just lying beneath the wine’s noble tannic cloak. Cellar this very refined Brunello for five or six years to see how it develops." - Ian D'Agata (Mar 2019)