Delicately perfumed and finessed, the San Polo 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Podernovi is very floral and lifted in personality. This vintage is very different than the inaugural 2015 vintage. I remember the previous release for its darker and blacker quality of fruit. This cooler vintage is more lithe and lighthearted, with building aromatic intensity that unfolds with caution and care. Once you've had the wine in your glass, it reveals a succession of sour cherry, wild rose and fresh lavender bud. There are light mineral dustings as well, and the wine is ultimately quite solid and structured. This bodes well for its aging evolution. Fruit comes from a two-hectare parcel in a cool and high position some 450 meters above sea level. The soils are clayey with schistous Galestro.Powerful ruby with a fine garnet edge. Opens with notes of mint and ginger, juicy cherry, a little resinous in the background. Dense and compact on the palate, shows a lot of fresh, red berry fruit, grippy, gripping tannin.\n \n Producer Information\n San Polo is a wine estate in the southeastern part of Montalcino. It is owned by the Allegrini family of Amarone fame. The first Brunello di Montalcino DOCG wines were made here in 1997, and today San Polo makes a range of wines that also includes some Toscana IGT cuvées and a Rosso di Montalcino. The estate has 16 hectares (40 acres) of vines that were planted between 1990 and 2000. These vineyards, planted predominantly to Sangiovese, sit at around 400 meters (1300ft) above sea level, overlooking Monte Amiata and the Valle Sant'Antimo. Around half of the plots are registered as Brunello di Montalcino DOCG. After harvest, the fruit is taken to the modern, subterranean winery for vinification. San Polo's portfolio consists of five red wines. The standard and Riserva Brunello wines both spend 24 months in new and second-use French tonneaux, which is followed by an extended period aging in bottle. The Riserva is not released until six years after harvest. The Rosso di Montalcino spends 12 months in one-year old tonneaux. The estate also makes a pair of Toscana IGT wines: Mezzopane, a Merlot – Sangiovese blend, and Rubio, a Sangiovese with a little Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
