By San Polino
Brunello di Montalcino 'Riserva' 2012 DOCG

Wine Details
Vintage: 2012
Wine Typology: DOCG
Grape: Sangiovese
Vineyard Altitude: 450 m
Terroir: South-facing vineyard at 450 meters. Sandy loam and volcanic soil mix with marl veins.

Weather
A cold winter was followed by a mild spring, with adequate rainfall. Summer arrived hot and early, and the vines became very vigorous. Grapes ripened uniformly, albeit quite fast. In late summer, however, hot, dry days followed by cold nighttime temperatures slowed the ripening down and ensured the quality of polyphenols and acidity. We harvested at the beginning of October.

Technical Details
Fermentation: Spontaneous, on indigenous wild yeasts, in tronic oak vats
Maceration: Three days at 12 degrees C pre-fermentation, 50 days post-fermentation
Wood Aging: Six months in French barriques followed by four years in large Slavonian oak barrels
Alcohol Content: 14.50%
[Information provided by Superior Wine Selections]

SAN POLINO BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO RISERVA 2012
Monday, December 17, 2018
Country: Italy
Region: Tuscany
Vintage: 2012
Score: 96
I love the way the deep, dusty nose opens up as this aerates, revealing very ripe red fruits, and only just a hint of dried fruits. The licorice and dried flowers follow. The huge dry tannins enable this concentrated and elegant wine to easily carry all the power and push the finish out a really long way. Drink or hold.

San Polino, Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, 2012
Blind tasted by Michaela Morris (at Chiostri Complesso di Sant’Agostino, Montalcino, 15 Feb 2018) Part of Brunello Riserva 2012: Report and Top wines
Points: 94
Drinking Window: 2022 - 2039
Producer: San Polino 
Vintage: 2012 
Wine Type: Still 
Colour: Red 
Country: Italy 
Region: Tuscany 
Appellation: Brunello di Montalcino 
Sweetness: Dry 
Closure: Cork 
Body: Full 
Oak: Oaked
Grapes: 100% Sangiovese
San Polino's isolated vineyards sit at 400-450 metres above sea level, farmed according to permaculture, biodynamic and organic practices. Fermented with wild yeasts, and with minimal SO2 additions, the Riserva spends a short period in French barriques, although ageing is mainly in old Slavonian oak casks. Revealing subtle wafts of grilled herb and coffee, with blackberry and blackcurrant buried underneath, this is still closed, driven primarily by its minerality and intensely structured tannins. It definitely needs time.

San Polino, Riserva 2012 Brunello di Montalcino
Producer: San Polino
Classification: Riserva
Appellation: Brunello di Montalcino
Region: Toscana
Country: Italy
Colour: Red
Alcohol: 14.50%
Score: 17.5/20
When to drink: 2020 – 2032
Published on: 14 Feb 2018
Date tasted: 8 Jan 2018
Reviewer: Walter Speller
Deep ruby with orange tinges. Lifted cherry nose and a fragrant cherry and raspberry palate of almost cool-climate character. Firm tannins framing medium-bodied cool fruit. Long and focused while the big tannins demand much more time. (WS)