2015 Castello Romitorio Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
🌄 Tuscany, Italy
🍇 Sangiovese
🌡️ 14.5%
Culinary Suggestions: Bistecca Fiorentina (Florentine Steak), Lamb Chops, Rich Pasta Dishes, Charcuterie
Vineyard Practice: Sustainable
About
Founded in 1984, Castello Romitorio has been committed to the study, exploration and promotion of Brunello di Montalcino DOCG. This has been possible thanks to the work of the Italian artist Sandro Chia, and his bond with Franco Martini, the first cellar master of Castello Romitorio, whose family has been producing Brunello di Montalcino for generations. Sandro Chia planted Romitorio’s first vineyards from 1984 to 1993 using ancient sangiovese varietals local to Montalcino. Today these old vines compose about 50% of Romitorio’s vineyards and serve as an immense heritage of Biodiversity. This bond now continues between Sandro’s son, Filippo Chia, and Franco’s son, Stefano Martini.
In 2006 Filippo Chia set upon the journey of building a new cellar and planting new vineyards at Castello Romitorio following in the footsteps of his father Sandro. He began by conducting careful research on the old vines and from there he decided which might be the most suitable Sangiovese varietals to plant in the new plots. With the assistance of a highly qualified team, a new web of beautiful vineyards slowly took shape. Today these vineyards span from the top of the Romitorio hill starting at altitudes of 450 metres down to 200 metres. Each plot has been carefully contemplated with a unique patchwork of different clones of sangiovese. Filippo’s goal was to initiate a process of renewal and a renaissance across all aspects of winemaking starting from the vineyards and therefore necessarily from the soil. A transition to organic farming officially began in March 2020 and vineyards will be certified by March 2023.
Tasting Notes
Showing richness, dark fruit, bold cherry and blackberry, the Castello Romitorio 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (with exactly 7,456 bottles made) embraces the exuberant character of the vintage, its warmth and its sunshine. If you seek a time capsule of 2015, I suggest that you put this bottle somewhere safe. The tannins are polished and chiseled, and at its core the wine is overflowing with blackberry preserves, cherry confit and plum.
96 points - Monica Larner, Wine Advocate December 2020
Drink: 2024 - 2045
The 2015 Castello Romitorio Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is youthfully restrained yet also surprisingly feminine, leading off with a dusting of cedar and white smoke, as nuances of strawberry, rose and violet perfumes come forward. It’s silky and undeniably elegant, seeming to coat the palate in a polished display of red and black berries, liquid florals and minerals which slowly saturate adding a tactile feel. A complex web of tannins wrap the senses up tightly, leaving sweet inner herbal tones and savory spices to linger. This is like a whisper rather than a shout, yet it has so much to say. In forty years, only nine vintages of Riserva have ever been made at Romitorio, and the 2015 is sure to rank amongst the best of them.
95+ points - Eric Guido Vinous Media November 2020
Drink: 2024 - 2034