This week we have on offer a selection of wines from three top Brunello di Montalcino producers; Canalicchio di Sopra, Talenti and Gianni Brunelli. We have offered all of these wines in previous years and the new vintages are now available to order through this offering.


You can pre-order any of the wines listed in this offering by emailing Jon Ellison at jonellison@marquis-wines.com. The wines listed in the offering will arrive at various times in the coming month but Jon will confirm the timing of your order via email.

*pricing and availability subject to change without notice.
Canalicchio di Sopra Canalicchio di Sopra is a small unassuming estate that was founded in 1962 by Primo Pacenti. Primo not only developed the Canalicchio di Sopra estate but served on the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino as a highly active member. Today, three generations preside together on the estate, proudly expressing Canalicchio di Sopra in the form of Rosso and Brunello di Montalcino. Their focus is only Sangiovese Grosso (i.e. the Brunello clone) and the effort of this focus is directed entirely towards producing outstanding Rosso and Brunello di Montalcino. Wines from the estate are produced solely from estate fruit which comes from their 15 hectares of vineyards. The vineyards themselves are planted in the most prestigious, northern areas of Montalcino: Canalicchio di Sopra and Le Gode di Montosoli. The wines from this estate have been very good for many years but in recent years the quality has improved dramatically to the point where these are some of the best value wines being produced in Montalcino today.

2012 Rosso di Montalcino - $35.00
"Freshly cut flowers, sweet red berries, mint, anise and tobacco lift out of the glass in the 2012 Rosso di Montalcino, a wine that brings together expressive aromatics and wonderfully translucent fruit, all supported by a classic sense of structure. This is a fabulous Rosso with tons of near and medium-term appeal."
- Vinous by Antonio Galloni, May 2014     91 points

2008 Brunello di Montalcino - $65.00
"The 2008 Brunello di Montalcino is fabulous. An exciting mélange of dark cherries, plums, tobacco, licorice, mocha and herbs take shape in the glass. Powerful, rich and structured, the 2008 wraps around the palate with serious depth. The Canalicchio Brunellos often have an element of wildness to them, as does the 2008, but the wine also has a track record of aging very well. This is an intriguing Brunello, to say the least. The 2008 has more than enough depth to stand up to 36 months in cask."
- Vinous by Antonio Galloni, Sep 2013     93 points

* ETA for the Canalicchio wines at Marquis Wine Cellars is three weeks.
Talenti is a gorgeous estate located in one of the world's most picturesque regions - the valley of the river Orcia, south of the legendary hill town of Montalcino, near the beautiful (and beautifully preserved) medieval monastery of Sant'Antimo, where if you were lucky, you might still hear the monks singing beneath the ancient Romanesque arches of the church built in the early 12th century: they continue to do so every day. Azienda Talenti was established by Pierliugi Talenti in 1981. The estate is an idyllic 40 hectares, including about 20 hectares of vines. The rest is olives, cereal crops, and natural woods. The place has a profound sense of remoteness and calm. Talenti's Brunello is 100% sangiovese grosso planted in 1981, grown on clay and marly soils at an elevation of 200 to 400 metres. The grapes are hand harvested, often as late as November. Winemaking is a judicious mix of modern (fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel) and traditional (ageing in a combination of Slavonian oak barriques and 500 litre botti for two and a half years, followed by a year of bottle age prior to release). The wine has the characteristic Brunello nose of concentrated berries and plums, strong suggestions of leather, smoke, and 'baked earth', and lovely sweet herbal aromas. As Brunello always should, it has the grippy grainy tannins and fresh acidity to provide backbone and ageability. In a perfect world, there would always be plenty of Rosso di Montalcino to drink as we waited the decades it takes for the Brunello to become burnished and nutty and autumnal....If the temptation is too great however, the wine can certainly be enjoyed now for the sheer beauty of its fruit. If you choose the early drinking option, the wine will benefit greatly from a few hours in a decanter.
- Trialto presents Liquid Art Selections

2012 Rosso di Montalcino - $34.00
"Freshly cut flowers, raspberries, mint and cinnamon lift from the glass in Talenti's 2012 Rosso di Montalcino. This perfumed, mid-weight Rosso is best enjoyed over the next few years, while the flavors remain vibrant."
- Vinous by Antonio Galloni, May 2014     88 points

2008 Brunello di Montalcino - $70.00
"Deep ruby-red. Brooding, complex nose hints at spicy red cherry, raspberry jam, pomegranate, red licorice, herbs and tar. Full and creamy for the vintage, with sweet dark red cherry, spice and minerals flavors lifted by violet and citrus peel. The finish is long and pure, with bright, harmonious acidity adding a peppery zing to the repeating red cherry and floral flavors. This lovely wine will drink well early but will age well."
- Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug 13     91 (+?) points

* ETA for the Talenti wines at Marquis Wine Cellars is three weeks.
Gianni Brunelli was from an old Montalcino family. He dedicated his life to upholding the local traditions of great food, wine and hospitality. He became famous for all of the above at his legendary restaurant Osteria Le Logge in Sienna "where customers are treated like friends and friends like gods". In 1988 he re-established his family's grape growing tradition at Le Chiuse de Sotto, a 2 ha vineyard below the hill town of Montalcino. An additional 4.5 ha vineyard named "Podernovone" has since been purchased south of Montalcino. Sadly Gianni Brunelli passed away in 2008, but his wife Laura carries on. She is a great character in her own right, big-hearted, and full of generosity and warmth. It is not surprising that Gianni Brunelli's wines are as supple, outgoing and hedonistic as Brunello's can be. Aged in big vats of Slovenian oak, they are elegant wines that have none of the severity that Brunello was once known for. Stylistically they have more in common with classic Burgundy or Barolo, which is to say that they are wines of plush texture and a core of ripe fruit.

2011 Rosso di Montalcino - $35.00
"What a pleasure it is to taste Brunelli's 2011 Rosso di Montalcino. A wine of pedigree and complexity, the 2011 offers up attractive scents of pipe tobacco, cedar, savory herbs, licorice and menthol. The richness of the vintage is nicely tempered by a firm sense of structure that will allow the wine to drink nicely for at least a handful of years."
- Vinous by Antonio Galloni, Sep 2013     90 points

2009 Brunello di Montalcino - $93.00
"One of the wines of the vintage, Brunelli's 2009 Brunello di Montalcino has been gorgeous on all three occasions I have tasted it. Smoke, licorice, black cherries, plums and menthol blossom in an inviting, textured wine loaded with class and nuance. The 2009 can be enjoyed today, but it also has more than enough depth to hold for at least a handful of years."
- Vinous by Antonio Galloni, May 2014     92 points

2007 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - $145.00
"Crushed flowers, spices, dried cherries, anise and wild flowers are some of the nuances that emerge from the estate's 2007 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. Like so many of the 2007 Riservas, there is a faded, slightly wilted quality here that is likely the result of too much time in oak, 35 months in this case. The excitement and visceral thrill of the best wines here is sadly missing."
- Vinous by Antonio Galloni, Sep 2013     89 points

"Bright red with a pale rim. Bright red cherry, raspberry jam, minerals and sweet spices on the captivating nose. Juicy and fresh in the mouth, with citrus and spice notes complementing sour red cherry and sweet redcurrant flavors. Sweet tannins and harmonious bright acidity lift and support this wine's red fruits on the back end."
- Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug 13     91 (+?)

* ETA for the Gianni Brunelli wines at Marquis Wine Cellars is four weeks.