Italy

James Suckling   99 points - "There’s a purity and beauty to this that impresses you the minute you put your nose in the glass. So aromatic. Flowers, graphite, blackcurrants and hints of gunmetal. Medium- to full-bodied with tannins that coat your mouth but give a feeling of fine cashmere. The length and intensity is calm but rather endless. 45% merlot, 40% cabernet sauvignon,10% cabernet franc and 5% petite verdot. From organically grown grapes."  

James Suckling 97 points. 50% merlot, 30% Cabernet sauvignon, 20% cabernet franc. This is a tight and powerful Orma with solid tannins that beautifully frame the fruit in the wine. Full-bodied and focused with intense structure and fruit character. Perhaps the best Orma ever. Give this four or five years to open. Try after 2025. #NEWITALY

Tobacco, sage and rosemary come through nicely, together with redcurrants and cassis. Full-bodied, yet polished, with a solid and dense center-palate. Tight at the end now, but will open nicely. Needs two or three years to develop. 50% merlot, 30% cabernet sauvignon and 20% cabernet franc. Try after 2025 - James Suckling 97 points. Fragrant and expressive on the nose, the floral / dried herbal scents mingle on the nose putting you squarely in Tuscany. Lifted and beautiful, a sensational vibrant, lively, pure and pristine wine. So carefully delivered in terms of texture with a joyous quality to the fruit flavours and mineral aspects - a...

Wine Advocate 94 points. The Uccelliera 2017 Brunello di Montalcino does a great job showcasing that extra power and brawn of the vintage and the richer textural structure of the southern side of the appellation. The bouquet is up front and beautifully measured with lots of red and purple fruit definition followed by spice, tar and earthiness. What sets this wine apart in this hot and dry vintage is the mouthfeel. It delivers fiber, flesh and soft tannins. ML Feb 2022.   #ANDREA

"The nose showcases a spectrum of umami aromas, from soil to astringent fruit to balsamic, stone and wild herbs. The palate leans into the fruity notes, with pepper providing heat and a continued metallic quality providing structure. Tightly coiled tannins and buoyant acid accentuate haughty citrus overtones." -  95/100 ,  Wine Enthusiast.

JEB DUNNUCK RATING: 97 JEB DUNNUCK REVIEW: A ripe red color, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino is expressive of its place, with warming notes of licorice, black cherries, anise, cedar, and dark soil lifting from the glass. As it opens, it becomes purer in its fruit profile, shining through beautifully. Full-bodied, with ripe tannins and a savory slanting profile, notes of espresso and mocha float across the palate, filling it with purity of fruit and lovely concentration through its long finish. It’s a fantastic Brunello with a warming richness that can stand up to hearty winter foods and will be best enjoyed over the next 15 years....

JEB DUNNUCK RATING: 97 JEB DUNNUCK REVIEW: A ripe red color, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino is expressive of its place, with warming notes of licorice, black cherries, anise, cedar, and dark soil lifting from the glass. As it opens, it becomes purer in its fruit profile, shining through beautifully. Full-bodied, with ripe tannins and a savory slanting profile, notes of espresso and mocha float across the palate, filling it with purity of fruit and lovely concentration through its long finish. It’s a fantastic Brunello with a warming richness that can stand up to hearty winter foods and will be best enjoyed over the next 15 year ROBERT...

Wine Advocate 95 points. The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a dark and brooding Sangiovese that flaunts its depth, sophistication and balanced weight. The fruit is thick and powerful, and the wine's textural richness is polished and beautiful. The wine goes through alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in stainless steel and then ages in both small and large oak vessels for three years. Only 7,000 bottles were made.  

Wine Advocate 97+. The Uccelliera 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (with 9,600 bottles made) is a great achievement and is among my top favorite wines from Andrea Cortonesi tasted in the 20 or so years I have followed this estate. There is a lot of power here, thanks to that golden Castelnuovo dell'Abate sunshine, so I cannot liken this wine to some of the more ethereal and delicate expressions that I also love. Instead, this Riserva delivers brawn, dark fruit and muscle, but it does so with sincerity and honesty. You can't help but appreciate the complexity on offer. The wine offers plenty of dark fruit, but you also get...

Wine Advocate 96 points. The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a terrific wine: bold, well-defined, powerful and balanced. There are many good things to relate, but the high alcohol content (measured at 15.5%) is the only distraction. This is a trend in the Riserva category in the 2016 vintage. The bouquet shows black cherry, cassis, earth, leather and dried roses. The palate offers soft fruit flavors supported by firm oak tannins. Coming back to the bottle 24 hours later, I found impressive integration and smoothness that took away from that alcohol heat. Production is 9,600 bottles. ML Feb 2022.   #ANDREA

Winemaker Notes Uccelliera is not only famous for its outstanding Brunello every year, but the Rapace, which has become an icon in the meantime, also shows the high quality with which the winery has been delighting wine connoisseurs all over the world for decades. A strong dark ruby red, the aroma spectrum is skilfully balanced by a mix of dark red cherries, plums, liquorice, smoke, spices and menthol. The beautifully cherry-like primary fruit is embedded in a warm texture, the silky tannin skillfully takes over on the sidelines and the wine storms into a long, nuanced and delicately mineral finish. Which is a blend of 70% Sangiovese, 20%...

94 Points, Andrew McMurray, Italian Wine Buyer: "A delicious Super Tuscan blend from Andrea Cortonesi made up of 70% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Amazing density of color and purity in the glass. Great freshness and bright acidity as it enters your mouth, and finishes with a very savory style that has minerality and supple length. Super solid wine that has great balance. Jump on this quickly as it is an amazing buy not to be missed." January 2024 (Tasted at Uccelliera Estate)

Winemaker Notes 100% Sangiovese from clay and sand soils rich in minerals. Notes of fresh cherries and raspberries with spices, dried herbs and crushed stones. Medium-bodied, crunchy and fresh with dusty tannins and pure, vivid fruit.  

Wine Advocate 94 points. Here's a confident and genuine expression of Sangiovese that manages to be both accessible and complicated at the same time. Brunello is one of the few Italian wines to bridge the gap between those two extremes. The Voliero 2015 Brunello di Montalcino offers a steady stream of small berry fruit and cherry aromas. But there is width to this bouquet and deeper layers of spice, tar and licorice also play important roles. This Brunello ages in oak for 36 months in order to find harmony and balance. Some 7,866 bottles were made. ML Feb 2020. Volièro is made by the masterful hands of Andrea Cortonesi. #WIN

Wine Advocate 92 points. The Voliero 2017 Brunello di Montalcino is a robust expression with dark fruit, earth and oak spice. The wine shows thick concentration with black cherry and plum. It has the proverbial shoulders (the tannins and the acidity) to support it all. Leather and tobacco play supporting roles, and the wine is also characterized by dry clay and crushed stone. Some 7,600 bottles (and 133 magnums) were filled, and you can drink this bottle straight out of the gate.ML Feb 2022.   #ANDREA

"The nose is a rainy day in the garden, as notes of soil, leather and tobacco mingle with undertones of cherry, bitter orange and herbs, with pepper streaking through it all. The cherries and earth both continue on the energetic, slightly medicinal palate, before a dramatic finish of acid circling the endless battle between fruit and earthiness." -  96/100 ,  Wine Enthusiast.

96 Points, Eric Guido, Vinous: "A mentholated freshness introduces the 2019 Brunello di Montalcino, as a vibrant wave of crushed cherries, mint leaf, clove and dusty roses make up its absolutely gorgeous bouquet. This is silky and enveloping yet lifted and full of energy, with crunchy red berry fruits that leave a crackle of primary concentration toward the close. It finishes pretty saline and spicy in character, leaving edgy tannins to mingle with a residual bump of acidity that maintains a wonderfully fresh sensation as tart cranberry notes fade. This is one of the most exciting young renditions of Voliero I have ever tasted. It...

100% Sangiovese Organic 15-25-year-old vines Clay soil Fermentation in steel with temperature control for 18/20 days Aged in large Slavonian and French oak casks (20/50 hectolitres) for 10 months   #ANDREA