- Among the Cleanest, Most Precise and Elegant Italian Wines We Sell
- Very Unique Style of Brunello - More About Elegance and Aromatics
- As Burgundian As Brunello Gets
2015 Scopone Brunello di Montalcino
- One of the Most Elegant Brunellos I've Tasted
- Almost a Brunello for Burgundy Lovers
- Remarkably Linear and Precise
- This Is Not a Knock Your Head off Brunello
- Nose: Raspberry, Licorice and Minerals.
- Licorice Flower
- Violets, Herbs
- Classic Intense and Well Defined Sangiovese Spices
- Classic Scopone Style - Elegant, Sleek and Refined
- Spice, Clean Cherry Fruit, So Elegant on the Palate
- Long, Aromatic Finish
- Gorgeous. Almost Burgundian
- 91 Points VINOUS
- Case Pricing - $35.99
2017 Scopone Rosso di Montalcino
- One of the Most Vibrant Rossos We've Sold
- The Savigny Les Beaune of Rosso di Montalcino
- Nose: Hand Crushed Early Season Cherry Fruit and Spice
- Palate: Medium Cherry Fruit, Incredible Freshness and Juiciness
- Lingering Fresh Spice on the Finish
- A Beautiful Wine and a Stunning Value at This Price
"I cannot think of too many estates in Montalcino whose wines have improved more over the last 10 years than Scopone." Ian D'Agata, VINOUS
A Different Style of Brunello
Today's, winery is run by a Dutch woman in Montalcino. Tessie Baijens is incredibly precise in all aspects of her work. And the wines reflect that - they are taut, clean and linear with precise fruits and stunning balance. Modern Brunello normally ranges from relatively high octane to over the top.
The style here is almost the exact opposite of modern trends. Sangiovese is one of the great grapes of the world. Some argue that it has aromatic complexity that can reach the heights of nebbiolo and pinot noir. Of course, this can get lost amidst dense Sangiovese fruit in most wines.
Tessie's wines are dialed back just enough so that what wine geeks really love about Sangiovese shines through. The spice. The herbs. The licorice. Florals. And balance, notpower, is the goal.
If you want to really see what Sangiovese can do in the hands of someone trying to shine a light on Sangiovese's naked soul, these are wines that you should try.
2015 Scopone Brunello di Montalcino
The first wine is the 2015 Scopone Brunello di Montalcino for $37.99 a bottle on a 4 pack purchase and $35.99 on a 12 bottle case. This is really an incredibly elegant Brunello. I love Brunellos and they have their place in a cellar but many of them are bruisers with big juicy Sangiovese fruit.Which I love with the occasional steak.But this wine is just so elegant.It expresses all the greatness of the 2015 Brunello Vintage The FASSIEST vintage of Brunello we have sold. Elegant, refined, precise with soaring aromas and depth. High acids and a very cool climate character. Think 2014 Red Burgs, 2016 N. Rhones or 2008 Mosel Riesling. Many will also drink early and age very well.
This is Sangiovese grown in Montalcino with with so much more going on.
The nose is just the most lovely raspberry, licorice and minerals. Picture like a licorice flower if you can. Some violets, herbs, classic intense and well defined Sangiovese spices. This is a bruiser vintage but this Brunello is classic Scopone style - it's still elegant, sleek and refined. Gorgeous. Almost Burgundian.
The palate has that 2015 Montalcino intensity but is definitely dialed back a notch in terms of fruit magnitude - think medium cherry fruit, but really pure and clean. The great thing is that with the fruit dialed back a touch, it stays much more in balance with the secondary flavors. Everything is incredibly precise - all just laid out on a line. You have like a harmonic of the cherry with licorice and Sangiovese spice that just reverberates on the palate. A hint of chocolate sort of weaves in and out. super fresh and lip-smacking. Succulent fruit. Great inner mouth aromas, ripe tannins and so so juicy. Awesome. Long.
The finish is long and elegant and those licorice, spice and chocolate elements really linger on the palate. This is not a wine to wash back a rare steak. It's more a wine of contemplation. It's a great wine.
Below is Ian d'Agata's 91 Point Review:
"Medium red with an amber rim. Aromas and flavors of faded violet, red cherry, earth tones and licorice. Closes round with excellent length. Despite the slightly evolved color, this easygoing Brunello is quite precise, offering early accessibility and suave tannins."
91 Points Ian D'Agata, VINOUS
The second wine is not a run of the mill Rosso di Montalcino - it is a very specific instantiation of the the Scopone style and a very worthy wine in its own right. The 2017 Scopone Rosso di Montalcino for $19.99 each on a 4 pack purchase is among the most vibrant, lithe Rossos we've sold. Again with the very Burgundian theme.
The nose really just jumps out of the glass with fresh just hand crushed early season cherry fruit and spice. It's one of those wines that really awakens the senses - you could almost just smell it as an aperitif.
The palate is really alive. Just that jumpy, bright acidity that makes wines incredible with food. Terrific medium cherry fruit and just incredible freshness and juiciness on the palate.
The finish has that lingering cherry fruit with lovely sangiovese spice. I drank a new and a day 2 bottle and the day 2 bottle was still incredibly vibrant.
The Estate
The estate is really a modern European love story. Tessie Baijens Genazzani (who is Dutch) met a Florentine Doctor in Sienna and they married and moved to Modena (in Emilia Romagna). Her husband missed Tuscany so they bought a weekend property in Montalcino. They eventually planted some vines and made wine that was very popular and they decided to sell it. It developed from a passion project to an obsession and now one of the more fascinating young wineries in Tuscany.
2015 Scopone Brunello di Montalcino - $39.99
($151.96 4-Pack, $431.88 12 bottle Case {$35.99})
2017 Scopone Rosso di Montalcino - $21.99 ($79.96 4-Pack)
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