Fuligni - Brunello di Montalcino 2018

The aristocratic Fuligni family goes back to the times of ancient Venice, later moving to England in the 14th century, where it received favors and honors from the Crown. When the House of Habsburg-Lorraine took over the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, Luigi Fuligni left England to move to the region and serve as a general for the new rulers around 1770. Luigi Fuligni’s ancestor Giovanni Maria Fuligni moved to Montalcino in the early 1900s, where he started to produce wine, as his family had done before him on their land in the Maremma region, mainly near Scansano until they moved to Montalcino.

The Fuligni Estate covers approximately 100 fully cultivated hectares on the eastern side of Montalcino where, historically, the most authentic Brunellos have come to life. There are other vineyards, which focus on Rosso di Montalcino and IGT wines, located around Villa San Giovanni a Semini. The property here dates back to the 17th century and is an agriturismo today. Since Giovanni Maria Fuligni’s death in 1971, the winery has been headed up by his daughter Maria Flora, a true woman of wine. in 1975 Maria Flora, alongside consulting enologist Francesco Vagaggini, bottled her first Brunello. She has always managed this land with the same passion of her ancestors.  

Today, Paolo Vagaggini, one of the top Sangiovese experts in Tuscany, maintains the long-standing relationship between the Fuligni and the Vagaggini families which dates back to the sixties, when Fuligni collaborated with Paolo’s father, Francesco Vagaggini. The special relationship with the Vagaggini family has recently deepened with the addition of young Jacopo Vagaggini, Paolo's son, now collaborating with his father.

An elegant fusion of fruit and spices, this Brunello is made from a careful selection of prestigious low yielding grapes. Deep garnet in color with orange hues, the bouquet shows red fruit and spice, confirmed on the palate with soft tannins, firm structure, and silky texture.

"Under the leadership of Maria Flora Fuligni since 1971, along with her long-time right-hand Dr Daniela Perino - now the estate’s CEO - Fuligni is one of the denomination’s most consistent performers. The 2018 does not disappoint: it epitomises the elegance of the vintage. A captivating synthesis of florals and earth, the nose radiates pressed violet, lavender and rose with truffle and tobacco accents. It expands in the mouth with flavour rather than weight or brawn. Red currants and orange are amplified by piercing acidity, and well-formed, magnificently textured tannins are chalky and adequately padded, giving layers and profundity. Not pushed beyond its capacity, this will drink beautifully over the next decade.” - 96 Points, Decanter

"The Fuligni 2018 Brunello di Montalcino stands out for its smooth integration of aromas and the carefully balanced intensity achieved here, which shows momentum but also remains very fine and nuanced. There are many sides to the bouquet with wild fruit, cassis, crushed stone, candied orange and fresh herbs or rosemary. A floral note also appears that suggests rose or iris root. The tannins are very well managed and silky. You hardly feel them, yet the wine offers firm structure throughout." - 95 Points, Wine Advocate 

Producer: Fuligni

Country: Italy

Region: Tuscany

Varietal: Sangiovese

Appellation: Brunello di Montalcino

Vintage: 2018

Size: 750ml