Frescobaldi CastelGiocondo Brunello di Montalcino 2012

Professional Ratings

• 94 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
  COMMENTARY: The Frescobaldi CastelGiocondo always comes to show, and the 2012 vintage comes to the party fully dressed. TASTING NOTES: This wine is big and formidable. Its ripe cherry and sweet wood notes work well together. Enjoy this beauty with a standing rib roast. (Tasted: June 8, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
• 93 James Suckling
  Aromas of ripe strawberries and spicy tea follow through to a full body, chewy and polished tannins and a succulent finish. Balanced and pretty.
• 93 Wine Enthusiast
  Fresh, alluring aromas of wild berry, pressed violet, dark baking spice and a whiff of new leather all come together in the glass. The firm full-bodied palate offers ripe black cherry, mature plum, cinnamon, licorice and a hint of tobacco. Chewy tannins and bright acidity provide support and balance. Drink 2019–2027.
• 92 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  The Frescobaldi family is becoming an ever more important force in the Montalcino territory thanks to recent land and winery investments. The Castelgiocondo 2012 Brunello di Montalcino is a soft and supple expression of Sangiovese. This oak-driven wine offers a generous bouquet that is based in part on dark cherry and primary fruit, and in part on spicy tones of toast and smoke. That said, this estate has very much redefined its use of oak and the results show much more balance and purity compared to wines made one decade ago. The brightness of the acidity also comes as a surprise given the warm vintage. That freshness is essential to the wine's aging potential.
• 90 Wine Spectator
  The cherry, earth and tobacco flavors are wrapped in spicy oak, which adds a layer of tannins to this firm, tightly wound red. Though on the austere, dry side, this comes together with air, leaving a stylish finish. Best from 2020 through 2030.