The Vigna del Fiore is an unique vineyard: its 14 acres (5.7 hectares) are situated in an area where the vine is cultivated by our family since the XVI century. It is one of the southernmost and oldest vineyard in the whole area of the Brunello di Montalcino. The particular exposition and the composition of the soil give to this Brunello special qualities, with a very elegant bouquet and an harmonic and complex taste.
The Brunello Vigna del Fiore has been produced since 1981; for its harmony and charm it can be drunk and appreciated from the earlier years in bottle, despite being a wine with an excellent capacity of ageing.
Grapes Sangiovese 100%.
Vineyards Property of Fattoria dei Barbi, located in the district of Montalcino and registered for Brunello di Montalcino production. Soil: marl and alberese in the highest part of the vineyard. Altitude: 270-294 mt slm. Average age: grape vines planted in 1991. Orientation: South – South West. Vine Training System: Cortina semplice. Vine Stock per hectar: 4.130. Yeld per hectar: 55 ql.
The Year 2018 The beginning of the season was characterized by a mild January and a colder February with northern winds. Both months were marked by abundant rains and occasionally by snow, which was helpful for the water supply. The Spring was still very rainy with temperatures higher than average. The Summer was dryer and very hot in the second half of August. A few thunderstorms at the beginning of September refreshed the temperature and helped the grapes to reach a good and balanced maturation, even if anticipated.
The harvest took place from September 17th until the 29th.
Vinification Before the fermentation the grapes were subjected to a cold pre-fermentative maceration which consists in cooling the grapes at a temperature of 16°C in an environment protected by CO2. This process increases the extraction of polyphenols and aroma compounds. The regular alcoholic fermentation followed and lasted 16/17 days at a controlled temperature of 27°-28°C. After the racking and the malolactic fermentation the wine aged in small-medium size oak barrels (2,25 – 15 hl) for the first months. Later it completed the aging in larger oak barrels, for a total period of two years and then is bottled at least 4 months before the release.
Chemical Analysis Alcohol 14.50 % – Total Acidity 5.5 g/l – Residual sugars < 0.5 g/l – pH 3,42.
Sensory Analysis Colour: brilliant ruby red with a light garnet nuance on the rim. Bouquet: ripe strawberry, Damask rose, narcissus, bay leaf, dark chocolate, a hint of coffee. Taste: opulent with great structure; black pepper and sweet spices. Very long sip.
Pairing Perfect for important dishes, roasted or grilled red meats, game, venison, stewed wild boar. Excellent with mature cheeses.
Serving Temperature Serve at a temperature of 18°C.
Capacity of ageing 20-60 years.
Conservation and storage Keep the bottle horizontally in a dark place at a temperature of 12°-14°C.
Format wine Bordeaux style bottle 0.75 Lt.
Enviromental Labeling
Issue: 2023
Score: 95/100
This red is beefy and closed, with the dense, powerful structure putting the brakes on cherry, kirsch, plum and white pepper flavors for now. Yet there is plenty in reserve as this plays out on the lingering finish. If anything upsets the balance, this is a tad dry on the finish today, but give this the benefit of the doubt. Best from 2026 through 2045.
Bruce Sanderson
Issue: November 29, 2022
Score: 93
An full-bodied yet elegant and balanced Brunello with succulent layers of chocolate, orange zest, toffee, sour cherries and cedar. Firm and finely structured. Try from 2024.
James Suckling
Issue: March 9, 2023
Score: 94+
The Fattoria dei Barbi 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna del Fiore reveals a fine and elegant personality that gives the wine a pop of brightness and vertical lift. The texture of the wine is very silky and smooth, giving this vintage a pleasantly lean to mid-weight approach. The wine closes with hints of iris root, dried cherry and rusty nail that we do see in the other wines from this estate, but they appear more balanced in this bottle. The wine successfully underlines its Sangiovese identity. There were 4,000 bottles made. Drink Date 2025-2040 | Stefano Cinelli Colombini acquired 4.5 hectares of new vines last year, with 1.5 hectares registered to Rosso di Montalcino. This historic estate skipped over its no sulfites’ Sangiovese in 2022 because there was not enough acidity in the grapes to make the wine they wanted. Fattoria dei Barbi has vineyards at a cool 200 to 550 meters in elevation.
Monica Larner
Issue: December 2022
Score: 92
Understated yet very pretty in the glass, the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino del Fiore lifts up with a dusty mix of dried strawberries, plums, and clove. This is supple and round, with a juicy wave of ripe red and black fruits that wash across the palate with ease. The 2018 echoes with hints of lavender and nuances of wild berry while tapering off with a gentle tug of fine tannin. Only a short stay in the cellar will be necessary to bring this fully into focus. Drinking Window 2024 – 2031. Tasted: October 2022
Eric Guido
Issue: December 12, 2022
Score: 16.5/20
Maturing ruby with bricky tinges. Riper and more concentrated than the straight Brunello, but also a little more progressed and with less tension. Supple, open-knit and easy-going. Very approachable with lots of well-behaved tannins. Drink 2023-2030
Walter Speller
Issue: November 2022
Score: 92/100
Aromas recalling resin, menthol and star anise waft out of the glass along with new leather and underbrush. Linear and youthfully austere, the full-bodied palate offers sour cherry, spiced cranberry, star anise and thyme framed in firm, refined tannins. Bright acidity keeps it fresh. Drink 2025–2033. 14.5%abv. Kerin O’Keefe November 2022 © 2022 kerinokeefe.com
Kerin O’ Keefe
Issue: September 2023
Score: 91+/100
Good red. Slightly reticent aromas of red fruit and orange peel on the very clean, fresh nose. Then similarly brooding in the mouth, currently not showing much fruit but slightly more minerality. Closes long and precise and will likely improve with another eight years of cellaring, but I couldn’t help coming away with the feeling this will always be a slightly fruit-challenged Vigna del Fiore. Drinking window: 2028-2038.
Ian D’Agata
Issue: March 6, 2023
Score: 93+
More purity and freshness are found in the 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino Vigna Del Fiore, while it stili has a more concentrated profile compared to the 2018 Brunello. INild raspberry coulis, fresh sage, and violets all come to the stage with lovely clarity, and structurally, it displays a more complete and classic application, with a wonderful core of concentrated cherry liqueur, ripe though present tannins, and refreshing acidity without being austere, noted by fresh blood orango, salty earth, and sweet clove spice. Drink 2025-2040.
Audrey Frick
Issue: February 6, 2023
Score: 93
Pale ruby red in colour. Crushed red rose petal aromas. Bing cherry, wild strawberry, plum, blueberry, liquorice and orange peel. Warm entry. Tangy acidity. Rounded tannins. Lightly textured. Medium bodied. Good length.
Tony Wood
Issue: March 1, 2023
Score: 95
Not sure whether to say that Vigna del Fiore exists as an icon or flies under the radar as a Vigna Brunello in Montalcino? Feels like both because it is not always spoken of and yet never wavers, delivers Barbi’s great quality and ages as well as any in the territory. As for 2018? A resounding yes in terms of sweet fruit, fine acids and quality tannins. Adds up to That’s All Right classicism, a trait for which Barbi wrote and continues to write the book. Everyday, everyday. The 1956 Elvis and 1983 Costello of Montalcino wines. Drink 2024-2033. Tasted November 2022.
Michael Godel
Issue: September 6, 2023
Score: 94/100
FATTORIA DEI BARBI, BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO DOCG VIGNA DEL FIORE 2018. Vigna del Fiore is a historical plot of the Cinelli-Colombini family that has been cultivated since the 16th century. It’s located at the southern end of the estate on a relatively low (280m asl), south/southwest facing site that guarantees potent fruit even in moderate vintages like 2018. Reflecting the milder conditions, the nose is currently a little shy, with crimson cherry slowly emerging from behind a curtain of leather, orris, tar and liquorice. The fruit is at centre stage on the entry, which has a lovely ethereal brightness despite high concentration; the tannins are big and leathery but supple, loosened by an energising zing of acidity.
Sara Heller MW
CORE 94
TASTED ON 25/05/2023
TASTED BY Sarah Heller MW Montalcino
BOTTLE SIZE 75cl
GRAPE VARIETIES Sangiovese (100%)
COLOUR Red
WINE STYLE Still
ALCOHOL 14.50%
COUNTRY Italy
REGION Tuscany
SUB-REGION Brunello di Montalcino DOCG
Issue: March 7, 2023
Score: 93
Yair Kornblum Koren
Issue: February 2023
Score: 95 TOP 10 BRUNELLO 2018
Elegant, flot frugt, floral med røde bær. Intens med en fin koncentration og i udtrykket med klassisk. Flot længde og dybde.
Thomas Rydeberg
Issue: January/February 2023
Score: 18+ TOP 10 BRUNELLO 2018
2018 Brunello di Montalcino, Barbi, Vigna del Fiore: Nomen est Omen. Der Duft ist betörend floral und einnehmend. Cremiger Gaumen mit dichtmaschiger Struktur, betörend reichhaltige Fruchtpräsenz, offenherzige Art, feingriffiges Tannin, das die Frucht gut umklammert. 2025 – 2034.
Giuseppe Lauria
Issue: March 28, 2023
Score: 89
Eher herber, nussiger und tabakiger Duft nach überwiegend schwarzen Beeren mit tabakigen Aromen, Teer, etwas Leder und pfeffrigen Nuancen sowie erdigen Anklängen und moderaten Fasstönen im Hintergrund. Herbe, leicht entwickelte Frucht mit etwas erdigen, tabakigen und aschigen Noten, mürb-sandiges Tannin, gewisse Nachhaltigkeit, leicht trocknend am Gaumen, eine Spur Trockenpilze, rauchige Nuancen, sehr guter, wenn auch wieder leicht trocknender Abgang. Trinkempfehlung: Mitte 2023 bis 2029+. Zuletzt bewertet: 28. März 2023
