Back in August of 2024 we tasted through a broad flight of Brunello di Montalcino wines, reaching back as far as 1997. The wines all showed magnificently, as written up here.
Given the extraordinary quality of recent vintages in Brunello di Montalcino, Musings undertook to revisit the region with another collection of spectacular wines.
Before we dive into the flight, let’s revisit an overview about Brunello di Montalcino.
Brunello di Montalcino
Brunello di Montalcino is in the northwest-central part of Italy within the greater region of Tuscany.
The DOCG region produces a red wine made from 100% Sangiovese Grosso grapes grown in the Montalcino area of Tuscany, Italy. The name Brunello means “little dark one” and refers to the dark color and small size of the grapes.
The first recorded mention of Brunello dates to 1842, when a farmer named Clemente Santi isolated a clone of Sangiovese that produced high-quality wines. His grandson, Ferruccio Biondi-Santi, is considered the father of modern Brunello, as he was the first to produce a wine that aged well and could compete with the best French wines. In 1888, he released the first vintage of Brunello di Montalcino, which was praised by critics and won awards at international exhibitions.
Brunello di Montalcino became one of the first Italian wines to receive DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) status in 1966, and then DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) status in 1980.
Today, Brunello di Montalcino is one of the most sought-after and expensive wines in the world, with a production of about 9 million bottles per year.
Brunello di Montalcino – Laws
Brunello di Montalcino must be made from 100% Sangiovese grapes grown in the Montalcino area, which covers about 24,000 hectares (59,000 acres) of land, of which only 3,500 hectares (8,600 acres) are planted with vines. The grapes must be harvested by hand and the yield must not exceed 8 tons per hectare.
The wine must be aged for at least four years, of which at least two must be in oak barrels and four months in the bottle. The wine can be released to the market on January 1st of the fifth year after the harvest (so, 2019 Brunello can be release on January 1st of 2024).
For the Riserva category, the wine must be aged for at least five years, of which at least two and a half must be in oak barrels and six months in the bottle. The wine can be released on the market on January 1st of the sixth year after the harvest.
The alcohol content must be at least 12.5% and the acidity must be between 5 and 6.5 grams per liter.
As a DOCG wine, Brunello must pass a chemical and organoleptic analysis and a tasting by a panel of experts before receiving the DOCG seal.
Brunello di Montalcino – Wine making techniques
Brunello di Montalcino is made from a specific clone of Sangiovese, called Sangiovese Grosso or Brunello, which has thick skins and small berries. The grapes are usually harvested in late September or early October, depending on the ripeness and the weather conditions.
The grapes are destemmed and crushed, and the must is fermented in stainless steel or concrete tanks at controlled temperatures for about two weeks. The wine is then transferred to oak barrels, where it undergoes malolactic fermentation and aging. The oak barrels can vary in size, origin and age, depending on the style and preference of the producer. Some producers use large Slavonian oak casks, which impart less oak flavor and allow the wine to breathe more. Some producers use smaller French oak barriques, which impart more oak flavor and tannins and make the wine more concentrated and complex. Some producers use a combination of both, or experiment with other types of wood, such as chestnut or cherry. The wine is racked and blended several times during the aging process and sometimes fined and filtered before bottling. The wine is then aged in the bottle for at least four months before release, or six months for the Riserva category.
Brunello di Montalcino – The Flight
2018 Capanna
Complex nose with dried cherry, dried strawberry and violet hints. Medium-bodied with moderate acidity. Well-balanced with supple, firm tannins. Well-integrated palate with dried cherry and cedar notes. Long finish. Lovely aftertaste. Stunning.
2019 Caparzo
Bright, rustic nose with dried cherry, and anise hints. Medium-bodied with moderate acidity. Well-balanced with firm tannins. Dark fruit core with tarry, blackberry notes. Long finish. Tight. Dark. Way too young.
2019 Il Poggione
Funky nose with earthy, vegetal hints. Medium-bodied with moderate acidity. Well-balanced with firm tannins. Black cherry and blackberry notes. Long finish. Uneven. Needs time.
2019 Siro Pacenti Vecchie Vigne
Cooked fruit nose with dried strawberry and macerated fruit hints. Medium-bodied with moderate acidity. Well-balanced with aggressive tannins. Dark fruit core. Black cherry and blackberry notes. Long finish. Another youthful entry. Needs time to evolve.
2019 Conti Costanti
Lovely nose with dried cherry and cedar hints. Medium-bodied with moderate acidity. Well-balanced with firm tannins. Dark fruit core. Black cherry, blackberry, rose attar and cedar notes. Long finish. Last time I tasted this wine, I remarked that it might be the most perfect example of Brunello di Montalcino I have ever had. It bears repeating (and as the scores show, so does everyone else).
2019 San Felice Campogiovanni
Barnyard, rustic nose with dark fruit hints. Medium-bodied with moderate acidity. Well-balanced with firm tannins. Tarry palate. Brambly with black cherry and cedar notes. Long finish. Needs time.
2021 San Filippo Dei Comunali
Tight, earthy nose with black cherry, cedar, and mineral hints. Medium-bodied with firm acidity. Well-balanced with firm, dry tannins. Dark fruit core, tight. Black cherry, cacao, and dark chocolate notes. Long finish. Incredibly tight. Easily 20+ years of aging. (Note: Average vine age is 50 years. Oak aging with 28 months in large oak barrels. Primarily Galestro soil.)
2020 Argiano
Barnyard, funky nose with dark fruit hints. Full-bodied with moderate acidity. Well-balanced with firm tannins. Uneven. Youthful and clumsy. Black cherry and cedar notes. Long finish. Needs time.
2020 San Filippo Le Lucere
Tight nose. Lightly floral with cherry, anise, and violet hints. Medium-bodied with firm acidity. Well-balanced with firm, dry tannins. Dark fruit core. Chewy. Black cherry and licorice notes. Long finish. Tight. Dried strawberry on the aftertaste.
2020 Baricci Colombaio di Montosoli
Dark fruity nose. Youthful. Full-bodied with moderate acidity. Well-balanced with firm, dry tannins. Dark and brooding on the palate. Black licorice and black currant notes. Long finish. Rich and complex on the aftertaste.
2020 Podere Giodo
Earthy, barnyard nose. Black cherry and anise hints. Medium-bodied with moderate acidity. Well-balanced with firm tannins. More earthiness on the palate. Rustic. Cedar and dried fruit notes. Long finish. Tight. Dumb phase?
2019 Poggio Antico Vigna I Poggi
Vibrant nose with black cherry, violet, and anise hints. Full-bodied with moderate acidity. Well-balanced with aggressive tannins. Dark fruit core. Brooding. Tight. Long finish. Needs more time to even out. Great potential but way too young.
2019 Teatro Salicutti Riserva
Earthy nose with dried cherry, cedar and truffle hints. Medium-bodied with moderate acidity. Well-balanced with firm, dry tannin. Dark fruit core. Black cherry and blackberry notes. Long finish. Concentrated Amarena cherry juice on the aftertaste. Youthful.
2019 Valdicava Madonna del Piano Riserva
Intense black cherry nose with anise and menthol hints. Full-bodied with moderate acidity. Well-balanced with aggressive tannin. Dark and brooding. Black core of fruit. Black licorice. Stunning with incredible potential. Long finish. Tight. A monster. Revisit in 10 – 15 years.
2019 Capanna Riserva
Herbaceous nose with dried cherry and dried blackberry hints. Medium-bodied with moderate acidity. Well-balanced with aggressive tannin. More dried cherry on the palate. Cedar and anise notes. Long finish. Almond skin and hazelnut on the aftertaste.
2020 Aminta
Tight nose with dried cherry and anise hints. Full-bodied with moderate acidity. Well-balanced with firm, dry tannins. Intense. Brooding. Dark fruit core with black cherry and fresh herb notes. Long finish. Remarkable.
Brunello di Montalcino – The Scores
| 2019 Conti Costanti | 24 |
| 2020 Aminta | 22 |
| 2019 Valdicava Madonna del Piano Riserva | 14 |
| 2018 Capanna | 8 |
| 2020 Podere Giodo | 8 |
| 2020 San Filippo Le Lucere | 6 |
| 2020 Baricci Colombaio di Montosoli | 6 |
| 2019 Poggio Antico Vigna I Poggi | 6 |
| 2019 Teatro Salicutti Riserva | 3 |
| 2019 Capanna Riserva | 2 |
| 2020 Argiano | 1 |
| 2019 Caparzo | 0 |
| 2019 Il Poggione | 0 |
| 2019 Siro Pacenti Vecchie Vigne | 0 |
| 2019 San Felice Campogiovanni | 0 |
| 2021 San Filippo Dei Comunali | 0 |
Brunello di Montalcino – The Cheese
Pecorino Ginepro
Pecornio Ginepro is a semihard sheep’s milk cheese that is bathed in balsamic vinegar (a regional specialty) and juniper berries and then aged in oak barrels. The deep brown rind that develops encases a bone white paste that is slightly granular and flaky. Full of flavor, musty aromas yield to a lingering fruity, woodsy finish with hints of juniper.
Country: Italy
Milk Type: Sheep
Cheese Type: Hard
Primo Pascolo
Primo Pascolo which translates to “first pasture” is an ode to Spring in Piedmonte. The cheese’s lively aromatics capture the succulent smells of a spring meadow. This raw cow’s milk, natural rind cheese is delicately tangy and vegetal, with a subtle but complex finish with hints of buttered popcorn and clover honey.
Country: Italy
Milk Type: Cow
Cheese Type: Natural-Rind
Taleggio
Taleggio is a semi-soft, washed-rind cheese from the Valtaleggio region in northern Italy, near Lombardy. It is characteristically aromatic yet mild in flavor and features tangy, meaty notes with a fruity finish. The texture of the cheese is moist-to-oozy with a very pleasant melt-in-your-mouth feel.
Country: Italy
Milk Type: Cow
Cheese Type: Washed-Rind
Mountain Gorgonzola
Mountain Gorgonzola is made in two styles; Dolce is sweet and creamy while the traditional ‘mountain’ variety offers some bite buried in dense, milky paste. Lombardian cheesemakers employ a two-step process in which pasteurized curds from morning and evening milkings are layered into each wheel. Blue veins develop over several months of affinage producing a firmer, more sliceable wheel than its gooey cremi-cousin. Moutain Gorgonzola embodies the spicy, earthy flavors of valley pastures, lending itself to almost any application.
Country: Italy
Milk Type: Cow
Cheese Type: Blue-Veined
A truly wonderful flight, with several stand outs and several with great future potential… We will revisit again soon… Cheers!