2017 Montiano
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Made with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, the 2017 Marciliano Cotarella shows signs of the very hot and dry growing season. The fruit feels a little riper and sweeter, and the wine is thinner on the mid-palate compared to the 2018 vintage. However, you get plenty of profound, dark primary fruit with blackcurrant confit and candied cherry. The tannins are soft and sweet.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The Cotarella Montiano project is a fluid, ever-changing program that adds focus and intensity with each successive vintage. The Falesco Famiglia Cotarella 2017 Montiano (a celebrated expression of Merlot) is vibrant and spicy with immediate vertical lift and dark fruit intensity. Grapes are sourced from two sites, one with clay soils and one with volcanic soils, so you get textural structure and aromatic lift in this clever blend. Grapes are hand selected, berry by berry, on the sorting table. The wine is redolent of dark fruit and blackberry with a hint of bright mint on the close. To summarize, this is a terrific bottle.
So much going on here with overtures of blackberries, dark cherries and finer, spicier notes of saffron, paprika and dried cloves. Excellent composure for a vintage such as 2017. The resoluteness of the tannins tames the wild dark fruit here, giving a clear indication of ripeness, but also structure and finesse. Drink from 2025.