Il Marroneto - Brunello di Montalcino Madonna Delle Grazie 2018

Decanter

About the wine:

This unique vineyard’s bottling features a selection of small, hand-picked clusters, resulting in concentrated fruit and a robust structure. Compared to the estate’s “classic” Brunello, it often exhibits a more earthy and autumnal character. The 2018 follows this trend, with aromas of chestnut and undergrowth juxtaposed against the sweetness of the vintage’s fruit. Layers of long, suede-like tannins envelop a fleshy black cherry. As it opens up, subtle hints of pepper, leather, and incense foreshadow what’s to come. Above all, the Madonna delle Grazie embodies the vintage’s finest attributes, flowing with agility and grace. 2024–2036

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Madonna delle Grazie Il Marroneto reveals both elegance and power. The fruit is crisp and lively, while the wine exhibits medium-bodied concentration and a more refined style. This vintage of Il Marroneto has two distinct personalities. On one hand, we have a wine brimming with beautiful primary fruit but which is a bit more immediate; on the other, we have a wine that promises good aging potential thanks to its freshness and silky tannins that melt on the palate. It is young yet mature. It is refined yet complex. The grapes come from the vineyard located below the Madonna delle Grazie chapel, and the wine is aged in special oak barrels for 41 months. The production runs to 8,500 bottles.

Wine Enthusiast

Jancis Robinson

Vinous

About the wine:

The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Madonna delle Grazie takes its time to open up in the glass, complex and darkly alluring with its musky notes of red currant and savory spices, yet with lovely swirling hints of rose. A hint of smooth smoke adds a lovely contrast. Its textures are like flowing velvet, with a chalky mineral quality that emerges quickly, perfectly balanced by a massive wave of dark red berries; yet throughout it all, balance is expertly maintained by a refined acidity that creates a sense of total inner harmony. The 2018 leaves a structured impression, yet its tannins are silky and refined, paired with a hint of violet and a resonance of lavender that I find utterly captivating. I’ve tasted this wine over the past two years and monitored this recent bottle for 48 hours; during which time it never faltered and only gained in depth and complexity. Il Marroneto’s 2018 Madonna delle Grazie is unquestionably one of the top three wines of the vintage. I tip my hat to Alessandro Mori and his team. 2025–2033

James Suckling

About the wine:

It offers a range of red and black fruits, along with coffee, dark chocolate, mild spices, and earthy notes. It is medium-bodied to full-bodied, with fine tannins and a pronounced black fruit character on the palate. Slightly tight and structured, with a firm, lingering finish that reveals notes of walnut shells and crushed stone. Best enjoyed after 2025.

Jeb Dunnuck