Sassetti Pertimali
Brunello di Montalcino DOCG – 2016
Region: ITALY - TUSCANY Italy - Veneto
Sassetti Pertimali
For over a century, four generations of the Sassetti family have farmed and made wine in Montalcino. Livio worked the historic property through the late 1970s, then purchased the 16-hectare (39.53 acres) Podere Pertimali vineyard. The now–famous Podere is in the Montosoli area, north of Montalcino, an area recognized for the cultivation of the Sangiovese grape.
In 1967, Livio was among the founders of the Consorzio del Brunello di Montalcino, which was the same year the DOC(G) system was written into law. In 1968 he built a terracotta wall in his cellar to preserve the old vintages of the wines produced by the family. Today, that collection consists of almost 1,000 bottles, with vintages dating back to 1915. Dedicated to the land, Livio has over time rehabilitated and expanded the vineyards, preserving the genetic heritage of the old vines and preserving the primigenial characteristics.
In 1999, the Sassetti family acquired La Querciolina a beautiful property located in the Maremma within the Montecucco DOC. They also work with a small property in Colle Argento located in the Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG region.
Today, the estates are managed by Lorenzo Sassetti, Livio’s son, fourth generation family member and acclaimed winemaker. Together with his wife Sabina they passionately uphold the family name and reputation. Lorenzo’s wines have deep roots in their respective terroirs. The wines are invigorating, aromatic, powerful styles that dance on the palate. Sassetti Pertimali Brunello di Montalcino is a collector’s wine. A true benchmark.
Grapes / Soils
| Wine | Blend | Vine Age | Soil Type | Vineyard Area ha or acres |
| Brunello di Montalcino DOCG | 100% Sangiovese Grosso | Planted 1988 -2001 | Clay and limestone | 29.65 acres / 12 ha |
The Wine
Vineyard Profile
The Sassetti Pertamali vineyards are located in the Montosoli hills, north of Montalcino, a particularly well known area for the cultivation of Sangiovese.
- Soils: Clay and limestone
- Vine training system: Spurred cordon
- Planting density: 7000 vines per hectare
Harvest Notes
- Hand harvested in beginning of October
- Gentle crushing
- Fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks for 10 – 12 days at 28 – 29º C
- Aged 36 months in 30hl Slavonian oak barrels
- Bottle aged 6 months
Winemaker's Notes
A rich silky red with complex aromas of wild berry and dark cherry. Floral and refined featuring a silky texture and elegant, smooth tannins.
Wine Summary
Made from Sangiovese Grosso (Brunello) 100%; alcohol: 14.5%; Vines planted 1988 – 2001; vineyard soils of clay and limestone; fermented in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperatures 28 – 29 °C; maceration for 10 – 12 days; aged 36 months in 30 hl Slavonian oak barrels; aged 6 months in bottle.
Technical Information
- 100% Sangiovese Grosso Brunello grapes
- Alcohol: 14.5%
Reviews
97 Points
If checking in early, make sure to give the towering 2016 Brunello di Montalcino from Pertimali plenty of time to stretch its legs. It’s incredibly shy and backward upon first pulling the cork, coming to life nearly an hour later and never taking a step back from there on out. A beguiling display of spiced orange peels, sour cherry and mint pull you closer to the glass, where notes of cardamom, cinnamon, clove and sage reside. It’s dangerously soft and supple at first sip with fleshy red fruits and sweet spices blanketing the palate; yet beneath this soothing mix, a complex web of minerals and fine tannin slowly saturate. That said, there’s a lively bolt of acidity which maintains freshness in spite of the 2016’s heroic structure. Inner florals resonate along with a hint of white pepper, as it tapers off with classic austerity. This is a gorgeous vintage for Pertimali. 2024 – 2040
Vinous, November, 2020
100 Points
Named # 1 Italian Wine of 2020
Named #3 of Top 100 Wines of 2020
Blackberries, black walnuts and black cherries, as well as loads of chewy tannins. Some smoked wood, wood tannins and even black truffles. It’s full-bodied and powerful with loads going on. It just keeps growing on the palate. So much wet earth and black olive at the finish with porcini mushrooms, too. Needs time to soften. Crazy finish. Try after 2025.
jamessuckling.com, November, 2020
97 Points
Red berry, violet and menthol aromas fill the glass alongside a whiff of underbrush in this full-bodied red. The tightly wound palate offers Marasca cherry, licorice, tobacco and a hint of game set against a backbone of assertive, fine-grained tannins. Flashes of bright acidity keep it balanced. Drink 2024–2036.
Wine Enthusiast, May, 2021
94 Points
Muddled plum and cherry flavors are enhanced by leather, black tea and iron notes in this sleek yet beefy red. Chewy tannins line the finish, yet this remains lively and finds a nice equilibrium in the end. Best from 2024 through 2047. 4,600 cases made, 2,000 cases imported.
Wine Spectator, March, 2021
94+ Points
Lorenzo Sassetti continues in his father’s footsteps and crafts one of the most beautiful examples of Brunello. The normale bottling is raised in thirty hectoliter botti of three years prior to bottling. The 2016 version is fairly ripe at 14.5 percent octane, but also pure and precise on both the nose and palate. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a complex blend of cherries, red plums, cigar wrapper, gamebird, a beautiful base of soil, lovely brown spice tones, bonfire and cedary oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and nicely soil-driven, with a good core of fruit, lovely transparency down to the soil, fine-grained tannins and a long, ripe and complex finish. This is still a young wine and really deserved plenty more bottle age before drinking, just to let its tannins soften up and its secondary layers of complexity to start to emerge. That said, if one is tempted and does not mind a bit of tannin, decant it for thirty or forty minutes and it is really already quite tasty. 2028 – 2065
View From The Cellar, November, 2022
General Info
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Tuscany, Veneto |
| Appellation(s) | Montalcino, Montecucco, Valdobbiadene |
| Proprietors | Lorenzo Sassetti & Sabina La Brusco Sassetti |
| Founded | late 1800s |
| Winemaker | Lorenzo Sassetti |
| Annual Production | 13,250 9L cases |
| Farming (Sustainable, organic, biodynamic) | Following organic principles, not certified |
