Vignavecchia

2018

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2015

2013

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG

Made only in select vintages, this is the estate’s smallest and most prized cru. Produced from a tiny, west-facing, 2-hectare (5 acres) vineyard planted on a steep hill in 1988, this is the winery’s oldest and most prized vineyard block.

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Climate trend

The 2018 Vintage was characterized by a trend that can best be summarized in a single word: calm. The harvest started on 20th September and ended on 5th October. From the outset, nature took its time; due to a harsh winter, the season started with a slight delay compared to the norm, and vegetative growth in spring was slow and steady, thanks to cool temperatures and heavy rainfall in May and June. The hot but never scorching summer and excellent temperature ranges enabled the vines to continue their development in a very balanced manner. This calm trend was subsequently mirrored in the harvest, which was among the longest in recent years. Nature took its time, and we like to be guided by its rhythms, so we adapted by arranging a phased harvest, according to parcels and sometimes even harvesting grapes from the same plot separately, so as to wait for the perfect ripeness of the lovely grapes that this vintage has bestowed on us. The wines have undergone fermentation in the cellar, again with the same calm that typified the entire harvest, which we are certain will also characterize the ageing period. We will wait to taste them, albeit impatiently, but know that by respecting nature’s rhythms we will appreciate them even more.

Vintage rating

Grape varieties

Sangiovese 100%

Vineyard

Vignavecchia - 2 hectares (4.94 acres)

Harvest

Grapes are hand harvested in small 17 kg crates during the first October weeks

Size

750 / 1.5 lt / 3 lt

Vinification

Soft crushing of the grapes after careful selection of the berries

Ageing

30 months in lightly-toasted 600 litres tonneaux with thick staves. This is followed by at least 6 months of bottle ageing before its market release.

Fermentation

In 600 litres tonneaux

Malolactic fermentation

In 600 litres tonneaux

Awards

94

Wine Advocate

Opening to a medium-dark garnet color, the organic San Polo 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Vignavecchia shows both the tart fruit flavors that we saw in the annata expression as well as the gamey aromas that we saw in the selection from Podernovi. This wine represents a good middle ground with cassis, cherry and sour plum. You also get spice, leather and cured tobacco. It finishes with medium-long intensity and an acidic close. Old-vine fruit is selected over a two-hectare site, and only 3,000 bottles were released.” – Monica Larner

93

Vinous

The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Vignavecchia lulls me in with a seductive array of sweet exotic spice accentuating medicinal cherry and dusty violet florals. It’s silky-smooth, with a dense wave of rich red fruits that coat the senses, leaving purple-tinged inner florals and chalky mineral tones to linger. This darkly enchanting Brunello finishes with impressive length and a coating of fine tannins that nicely frame the lingering notes of licorice and citrus-tinged blackberry that slowly fade. This is, yet again, a gorgeous Brunello of the vintage, courtesy of San Polo.

96

James Suckling

Complex nose of cloves, ripe purple berries, some graphite, dried herbs, dark plums and spices. Full-bodied with chewy tannins and a compact core of ripe, dark fruit and spice. Deep. From organically grown grapes. Better after 2025.

90

Decanter

San Polo’s Vignavecchia selection comes from a steep, well-draining parcel of 30-year-old vines yielding small, thick-skinned grapes, where the warm southwestern exposure accentuates ripeness and concentration even in 2018. Aromas tended to oxidative in both bottles I tasted, with prune, soy and nutmeg at the fore. Mouthfilling and generous, it has a flattering chocolatey texture with some dry, grippy wood tannins which arise towards to the finish. Its fully mature fruit profile calls for early enjoyment.