James Suckling

A wine with superb finesse and depth. So subtle and understated yet powerful and long. The tannin intensity is amazing. It just builds like a massive wave. Superb. Give this time in the bottle. The length is endless.

(11/2016)

Wine Spectator

Sumptuous, offering ripe aromas of plum, cherry, spice, earth, iron and tobacco. Velvety in texture and elegant, this nonetheless has an ironclad structure underneath. Firm and long, fresh, echoing tobacco and mineral. Seductive, yet reserved too.--Non-blind Valdicava Brunello vertical (July 2017). Best from 2023 through 2043. (BS, Web Only-2017)

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Here is a big wine with lofty ambitions and an impactful presentation. The Valdicava 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del Piano hits all the right buttons. The wine shows a profound sense of elegance and poise with subtle berry notes that blend into spice, licorice and tar. Those bright and lively aromatic components fold gracefully within the wine's tight texture, its sheer power and the silky nature of the tannins. This wine promises a long and steady aging future ahead. (ML) 95+

(08/2016)

Vinous

The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del Piano is a classic Valdicava wine built on power, intensity and depth. Black cherry, smoke, licorice, dark spices and menthol make a strong first impression, followed by huge waves of tannin and acidity that will require at least a few years to settle down. In a part of Montalcino that is known for finesse, the Madonna del Piano is decidedly powerful, concentrated and extracted. Readers will want to give the 2010 a good bit of air, as the Madonna del Piano needs quite a bit of time to open up. (AG)

(02/2016)

Jancis Robinson

Tasted blind. Very heavy bottle! Deep ruby with orange rim. Deep fruit nose with hints of sweet spice. Lovely balance and supple, but not really open. Bags of coating tannins that frame the concentrated fruit. A sleeping beauty. 17.5/20 points. (WS)

(01/2016)