Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 'Madonna del Piano' 2019

This structured and 'aristocratic' red wine originates from Italy, within the prestigious Brunello di Montalcino D.O.C.G. appellation of southern Tuscany. Produced by Valdicava a legendary estate led by Vincenzo Abbruzzese the single-vineyard Madonna del Piano Riserva represents one of Italy's most iconic and sought-after red wines. First created in 1977 as one of Montalcino's pioneering single-vineyard Riservas, the eight-hectare Madonna del Piano plot sits at the foot of the Montosoli hill on the valley floor of northern Montalcino. Rooted in deep, mineral-dense soils of galestro (schistose clay), albarese (limestone), and crushed gravel, the vineyard benefits from a unique mesoclimate marked by warm daytime sun and sharp evening temperature drops. This thermal variation allows Sangiovese Grosso (Brunello) to undergo an extended ripening cycle, building profound phenolic density, dark-fruit concentration, and an imposing, age-worthy structural frame.

Wine Description

The 2019 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 'Madonna del Piano' presents a deep, luminous garnet-ruby color in the glass with rich brick and terracotta reflections along the rim. Its sensory profile is exceptionally bold, high-toned, and complex, delivering a monumentally structured, intense, and noble portrait of northern Montalcino Sangiovese. The bouquet opens with a soaring, multi-layered display of black cherries, wild dark plums, and cassis, seamlessly integrated with complex underlays of dried violets, sweet pipe tobacco, cured leather, damp earth, truffle, crushed stone minerality, and a subtle touch of cedarwood and dark cocoa. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, muscular, and athletic, showcasing a succulent, power-packed core of dark stone fruits, blood orange peel, and dried Mediterranean herbs. It is characterized by its outstanding inner energy and an incisive, mouthwatering backbone of natural acidity that effortlessly lifts its immense mid-palate extract. The mouthfeel is broad, linear, and velvety, framed by firm, fine-grained, and chalky Sangiovese tannins that carry into an extraordinarily long, dry, and savory finish accented by persistent notes of iron, graphite, and dried spices.

This high-definition Tuscan expression is 100% Sangiovese Grosso, sourced exclusively from the oldest, lowest-yielding vines in the historic Madonna del Piano plot. Hand-harvested with rigorous cluster-by-cluster sorting in both vineyard and cellar, the fruit underwent temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel vats with extended maceration on the skins to extract noble phenolics and deep color. To polish its formidable structural tannins while honoring pure varietal and single-vineyard character, the wine completed malolactic conversion and was matured for over 30 months in large, neutral Slavonian oak casks (botti grandi), followed by extended bottle resting to meet the stringent six-year aging requirement for Riserva release. It reaches an effortlessly integrated, bold alcohol content (ABV) of 14.5% to 15.0% and is finished bone-dry.

Vintage Quality

The 2019 vintage across Montalcino is universally hailed as a legendary, historic growing season. A classic spring followed by a warm, sun-drenched summer was tempered by cool nightly breezes from Mount Amiata and timely rainfall, allowing Sangiovese to achieve complete, perfect phenolic maturity with ideal skin-to-juice ratios and vibrant natural acidity. Vincenzo Abbruzzese harvested pristine, low-yielding fruit at peak structural balance. The resulting 2019 'Madonna del Piano' Riserva combines immense Tuscan power and dark berry density with noble structural restraint, built to evolve and improve gracefully in a cellar over the next 20 to 35+ years.