2004 CIACCI BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO PIANROSSO RISERVA "The estate’s 2004 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna di Pianrosso Santa Caterina d’ Oro is rich and sensual in its layers of dark fruit. Ripe and perfumed , the wine reveals tons of persistence, great depth, fine, silky tannins and an expansive, multi-dimensional personality that emerges over time. Menthol, pine, spices and a host of other balsamic nuances swirl around in the glass, adding further complexity to the dark fruit and rounding out the wine beautifully. Readers who are patient will be rewarded with a superb Brunello. This is a terrific effort from proprietor Paolo Bianchini. Ciacci’s Pianrosso is an old-vines selection that spent 36 months in Slavonian oak. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024." Robert Parker 94+ Points

Producer

The Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona estate, whose origins date back to the 17th century, produces some of Italy’s most highly regarded wines. In 1985, estate manager Giuseppe Bianchini inherited the property from Countess Elda Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona, who had no heirs. Today, his children, Paolo and Lucia Bianchini, continue making excellent Brunellos in the tradition of their father, who died in 2004. The 85 acre estate in the prized Castelnuovo dell’Abate zone includes the famed Pianrosso site. The vineyards are located between Poggio d’Arna and the Orcia River on the southwest side of Montalcino at an altitude of 240 to 360 meters. Organic fertilizers are employed along with double pruning and green harvesting. The Bianchini’s own three cellars – the ancient Palzzo cellar, the main Molinello cellar and the Santo Stefano cellar, located in Montenero, which is used solely for production of their Montecucco DOC wine. The Ciacci wines all speak of flawless quality and exhibit Tuscan typicity crafted in a modern style.