2019 Brunello di Montalcino, Ciliegio, La Magia, Tuscany, Italy
- Red
- Dry
- Full Bodied
- Sangiovese
- Walter Speller
- 17.5/20
- Kerin O'Keefe
- 90/100
- Monica Larner
- 93/100
- Michaela Morris
- 94/100
- Eric Guido
- 95/100
- James Suckling
- 96/100
Description
This is “Le Grand Vin de La Màgia”. The wine hails from Fabian’s most prized vineyard with its eponymous ancient cherry tree, surrounded by 3.5 hectares of 45+-year-old vines. 2,137 bottles were produced in 2019, close to the maximum that can be reached for this plot, owing no small thanks to the outstanding growing conditions of the vintage. After a lengthy 40-day maceration on skins, the wine sees 36 months in 500l French tonneaux (80% new/20% second use). The nose is profoundly complex – sweet black cherry alongside earthy bass notes, with defined dark berry fruit and sanguinello that flow across the palate with gloss and silk.
Berry Bros. & Rudd
Critics reviews
Deep ruby. A lifted, enticing nose of minty oak and balsamic raspberry. Lots of oak on the palate, but it fits the raspberry and cherry fruit seamlessly. Tangy acidity and cracking tannins pushing the raspberry fruit on the finish. Sensuous and endlessly long and with an elegant palate weight. This still needs a couple more years in bottle.
Drink 2026 - 2038
Made with 45-year vines situated 400-450m above sea level, fermented and aged in French oak, this opens with aromas of coconut, roasted coffee bean, forest floor and exotic black spice. The aromas carry over to the firm palate along with vanilla, prune and blood orange but it’s shy on fruit richness. Grainy tannins leave a grippy finish.
A certified organic wine, the La Magia 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Ciliegio is exceptionally fresh and punchy with lifted fruit sensations of redcurrant, candied cherry, grenadine, rose hip and tart cranberry. The tannins are firm, but the wine relaxes to a glossy mid-weight feel. This is a versatile and accessible Brunello that could pair with a wide range of your favorite foods thanks to its balanced acidity.
Drink 2025 - 2038
Made from a selection of the estate’s oldest vines, Ciliegio matures in French oak tonneaux, of which 80% are new. The 2019 vintage absorbs this well, starting with a rather striking mix of pine, vanilla, mint and rosemary. Balsamic herbs repeat on the palate where long, ripe tannins melt seamlessly into spiced wild red forest berries. Amply concentrated with lovely fruit purity and sophisticated structure. Nevertheless, this will need a couple of years to fully integrate. Less than 2,500 bottles produced.
Drink 2026 - 2038
A dusting of cedary spice, dried roses, cloves and red currants wafts up from the darkly alluring 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Ciliegio. This is profoundly textural and bassy, with a core of mineral-laden red berry fruit and orange motivated by brisk acidity. It finishes long and structured, leaving a salty flourish lingering with traces of tart cranberry and edgy tannins. It's simply stunning. The Ciliegio hails from a plot of vines planted in 1974 in sandy clay and galesto soils.
Drink 2026 - 2044
Crunchy orange zest and vibrant red-fruit notes of raspberries and red cherries, followed by a mix of red and purple flowers. Medium-bodied with chewy yet relatively fine tannins and crisp acidity. Zesty and delightful. From organically grown grapes.
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