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1985 and 1988 Brunello di Montalcino tasting
This past month I hosted a Brunello di Montalcino tasting focused on the great 1985 and 1988 vintages from five producers. Though these vintages are only three years apart, they are at significantly different stages of life. The 1988s are generally less evolved on the nose, with a core of fruit in the mouth and significant tannic structure. The 1985s are more aromatic, mature, and softer in edge. Such were the qualities of the fruit from the 1988s and the aroma of the 1985s that several guests blended their Ciacci’s to strong success. I even joined in on the fun and rated my blend a check plus!
As for the unblended wines our pair of Biondi-Santi were outliers. The 1988 was a bad bottle and the 1985 was uninspiring. The other eight bottles spanned a range of drinking states and qualities. The 1988 Livio Sassetti, Pertimali, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva and 1985 Livio Sassetti, Pertimali, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva are my favorites from this evening. Both vintages bear aromas that I love with the 1985 drinking at a sweet spot. After several hours the 1985 La Chiesa di Santa Restituta, Brunello di Montalcino began to open up, revealing an inky core of fruit, both elegant and tense. A determined wine that will continue to develop. The 1988 La Chiesa di Santa Restituta, Brunello di Montalcino is even less evolved but worth following. The 1988 Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona, Brunello di Montalcino, Pianrosso is quite good too, showing floral notes on the nose and in the mouth. The 1985 Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona, Brunello di Montalcino takes on perfume as well. Though others surely disagree, I found the 1988 Poggio Antico, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva too young and clean for my liking and the 1985 Poggio Antico, Brunello di Montalcino too soft.
At 30+ years of age Brunello di Montalcino can remain clearly structured, tough to drink, and barely evolved in flavor. Yet our best bottles are expressive, complex, and will drink in such a fine state for many years to come.
Please find my tasting notes below. All of the wines were double-decanted one hour prior to tasting then followed over several hours. I must once again thank Mannie Berk, The Rare Wine Co., for opening up his inventory to me.
1988 Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona, Brunello di Montalcino, Pianrosso
Imported by The Rare Wine Co. Alcohol 14%. A finely articulated nose of mixed florals, incense, and wet wood. In the mouth it is finely veined with a core of deep fruit supported by strong and drying tannins. With air the wine remains tight with its floral, fruit vein. **** Now – 2028.
1985 Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona, Brunello di Montalcino
Imported by The Rare Wine Co. Alcohol 13%. Quite aromatic. A softer edge though there is power from the strong and drying tannins. There mature flavors with a soft edge becoming black fruited and perfumed in the nose. ***(*) Now – 2028.
1988 Livio Sassetti, Pertimali, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
Imported by The Rare Wine Co. Alcohol 13.5%. Good nose. In the mouth is fine grained flavor, focused around a core of red and black fruit. The profile is a little tart and certainly drying from the tannins. With air remains great focus and balance with complexity from Christmas baking spices and the inky finish. **** Now – 2033.
1985 Livio Sassetti, Pertimali, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
Imported by The Rare Wine Co. Alcohol 13.5%. A love nose that is meaty, bloody, wild and evocative of wood box. This remained the most aromatically interesting wine from the first pour to the end of the evening. In the mouth, tart red fruit mixes with citric tannins providing engaging grip. Mature flavors from bottle age, earth, and wood box effectively mix together. “Sauvage” as one guest commented. A lovely wine of medium body which expands in the mouth leaving very fine, drying tannins on the gums in the end. ****(*) Now – 2028.
1988 Poggio Antico, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
Imported by The Rare Wine Co. Alcohol 13%. The deeper aromas are closely played but reveal berries and are of more interest than the 1985 sibling. It is a slowly evolving wine with cherry, watering acidity, and a vein of structure. Still young, not yet in mid-age with clean and elegant fruit. *** Now – 2023-2033.
1985 Poggio Antico, Brunello di Montalcino
Imported by The Rare Wine Co. Alcohol 13%. Sour, clean fruit with watering acidity, and an incensed finish. There is a rounder start with more body and citric tannins on the sides of the gums. However, the flavors do not have the life giving energy. ** Now.
1988 La Chiesa di Santa Restituta, Brunello di Montalcino
Imported by The Rare Wine Co. Alcohol 13.5%. Some roast on the nose, balsamic. A core of sweet fruit develops and a pure, forward note of oregano. Needs time. **(**) 2023-2033.
1985 La Chiesa di Santa Restituta, Brunello di Montalcino
Imported by The Rare Wine Co. Alcohol 13.5%. A fine nose develops after a few hours. With maturing fruit, and some sorry cherry this wine continued to evolve over the evening. The acidity creates tension between the inky, fine core of fruit, and supportive component. Red and black fruit mix convincingly, sporting elegant weight as textured tannins are left on the gums. ***(**) 2020-2035.
1988 Il Greppo, Biondi-Santi, Brunello di Montalcino
Imported by The Rare Wine Co. A bad bottle! Not Rated.
1985 Il Greppo, Biondi-Santi, Brunello di Montalcino
Imported by The Rare Wine Co. Scented on the nose but a bit thin in flavor. Perhaps elegant, I only note tartness and acidity with an eventual leather note. ** Now.
A mixture of wines young and old
I met up with Lou and another friend for a casual after-work tasting of wines. We started with a pair of bottles from the Finger Lakes of New York. I have now enjoyed the 2016 Red Tail Ridge Winery, Sparkling Riesling Petillant Naturel, Finger Lakes on three different occasions. This bottle was particularly frothy with a core of fruit and vein of bubbles that make it delicious to drink right now. Also made from Riesling, but smelling like there is Sauvignon Blanc as well, is the 2016 Heart & Hands, Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes. It is a solid wine of tart citrus and chalk flavor.
The pair of 2014 White Burgundy yielded a generous, rapidly maturing 2014 Gautier Thevenet, Domaine Emilian Gillet, Quintaine, Vire-Clesse. Of good value I would say. In comparison, the 2014 Jean-Marc Pillot, Chassagne-Montrachet is less fruity and the better wine. With a core of lemon and ripe apple, there is an acidic spine, all of which lasts with good length.
Made from the youngest vines, 2017 Pierre-Marie Chermette, Griottes, Beaujolais is a well-made, enjoyable, grapey wine. It is pure, fresh, and acted as our gateway to a trio of mystery wines.
I admit to being confused. I had settled in on the wines being from the 1960s and 1970s, with origins in Italy or California, and at least one Cabernet Sauvignon. Mystery #1 – 1974 Croce di Fralupaia, Chianti was younger than I thought but not worth drinking. Mystery #2 – 1991 Tenuta Caparzo, Brunello di Montalcino was also younger than I thought but sound, which gives you an ideal of its maturity curve. With air it took on body and flavor to become rather enjoyable. The final bottle is the modest Mystery #3 – 1984 Steltzner Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley.
2016 Red Tail Ridge Winery, Sparkling Riesling Petillant Naturel, Finger Lakes
Alcohol 13%. Very frothy at first but the body soon develops. There is a focused fruit core with the fine bubble vein. With air and warmth the Riesling origins come out. Easy to drink. *** Now – 2020.
2016 Heart & Hands, Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes
Alcohol 11.5%. A very light straw color. A good nose, aromatic with both grassy and petrol aromas. A soft frame exists for the whole fruit Riesling flavor. There is some chalk and a slightly, tart citrus flavor in the end. The acidity is balanced by the sugar such that it does not come across as lively. Some engaging grip develops. ** Now.
2014 Gautier Thevenet, Domaine Emilian Gillet, Quintaine, Vire-Clesse
Imported by Simon N Cellars. Alcohol 14%. A very light yellow. A rounded edge with with ripe lemon flavors, stones in the middle, and some fat in the finish. It is easy to drink and will mature rapidly. **(*) Now – 2020.
2014 Jean-Marc Pillot, Chassagne-Montrachet
Alcohol 13%. A very light green yellow color. There is a focused fruit impression at first but this wine is not all about the fruit. It is dense and focused with a good, acidic spine. There are hints of yeast and wood. With air the flavors settle on lemon with a ripe, apple core. Good length. *** Now – 2023.
2017 Pierre-Marie Chermette, Griottes, Beaujolais
Imported by Weygandt-Metzler. Alcohol 12.5%. A purple, red cranberry color. Grapey and bright on the nose. The flavors are evocative of young, grape juicy being light, very pure, and fresh. Tart berries and grip are closed by a round, verve finish. ** Now.
Mystery #1 – 1974 Croce di Fralupaia, Chianti
Imported by T. Elenteny. Alcohol 12%. Past prime on the nose with a banana aroma. In the mouth it is falling apart with some leather, animale, and a hint of freshness. There is a touch of fat-edged flavor and body but it soon turns acidic with green apple flavors. Past prime. Not Rated.
Mystery #2 – 1991 Tenuta Caparzo, Brunello di Montalcino
Imported by Palace Brands. Alcohol 13%. A garnet, brick color. It tasted quite mature at first with bottle aged flavors, citric acidity, and citric pithe on the gums. But magically, with air, it develops both body and flavor. It even takes on a luxurious, marshmallow mouth feel. *** Now.
Mystery #3 – 1984 Steltzner Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Earthy fruit with red cranberry flavors, a grippy nature, and clearly the most acidic of all the wines tasted. Vibrant but a bit thin in flavor with a slight green edge. ** Now.
A Bottle of Mature Brunello
It is a sad fact that I have not drunk much Brunello di Montalcino lately, let alone ever. Lou corrected this aberration by bringing over an interesting bottle on Labor Day. The Brunello DOCG was granted in 1980, making his bottle of 1981 Il Casello, Brunello di Montalcino an early example produced under the new rules. The DOCG rules required a major change in winemaking. Previously, in poor vintages, producers could add up to 10% grapes, must, or wine from outside Brunell to bring up the alcohol level. The DOCG change allowed the correction to only be done with an old vintage of Brunello up to 15%.
Whether any old vintage is a part of this bottle is unknown. It was a moderate vintage. The Wassermans described it as “good, though a trifle light” with a rating of “*-” out of four stars. Not exactly a glowing vintage review being in the second worst grouping. The wine itself was described more favorably with “Lovely nose, tobacco component; loads of nice fruit, moderate tannins, medium to full body, fairly well balanced. **(+)”.
The fruit persists even today as do the tannins. In fact, the wine showed best after several hours of air when the fruit sweetened up. It is a very pleasant wine no doubt because it was made by the owners of Tenuta Il Poggione, the Franchesci family. The Franchesci family have a long history making Brunello as they purchased the Il Poggione estate in 1900. There was only one wine produced at Il Casello, this Brunello, and it was made by the Il Poggione winemaker. It is not a complex wine by any stretch, rather one of former strength tempered by old wood flavors. It is beginning to lose balance in the aftertaste so I would drink it up.
1981 Il Casello, Brunello di Montalcino
Imported by Corinthian Wine Merchants. Alcohol 13.5%. The almost tawny color does not prepare you for the rounded core of fruit. The fruit sweetens up with air, mixing with old wood notes, and fine tannins throughout. There are more mature notes of wood and hints of tobacco. The level of fruit sweetness is most apparent in the finish before there is a little sharpness in the aftertaste. **(*) Now.
A Brunello that Won’t Break the Bank
Life is returning to normal after the long holiday weekend. David Bloch kicks things off with a bottle of Brunello.
2001 La Poderina, Brunello di Montalcino
There are many, many producers of Brunello. Indeed, there has been an explosion of producers which may have “devalued” Brunello as a special wine. La Poderina is not a newcomer. I began to drink Brunello about 20 vintages ago. There have been some really poor vintages, and many good and some great ones. 2001 is widely regarded as a great vintage. Is this a great wine – no. But what La Poderina produces is a real value play in a region with some really overpriced wines. This 2001 provides all that one wants from an aged Brunello: notes of sweet fruit and tobacco on the nose; followed by tart sweet cherries, some smoke and leather in the mouth, with a persistent finish. At under $40 at release, this provides a very authentic Brunello experience. The wine is now entering its middle age and will easily hold in a cold cellar for another 5 years+.
2004 Tenuta La Fuga, Brunello di Montalcino
In the late 2000 the Folonari family reorganized its company. They were the principal owners of Nozzole, Ruffino, and four other brands. Tenuta la Fuga is a new estate that was acquired during the reorganization. The Tentua La Fuga estate is located southwest of Montalcino. The 75 acres were originally part of Camilliano estate but were split off in the 1980s with final control transferred to the Folonari family in 2002.
The estate lies at 1,200 feet and consists of 25 acres that are planted with vineyards and the rest with olive groves. Just over 16 acres are classified at Brunello di Montalcino with 11 acres containing 20-year-old Sangiovese vines and the remaining 9 acres containing vines planted in 1993 and 2000. The vineyards produce a maximum of 3,500 cases of wine. The grapes are harvested in October and 65% are used for the production of wine. The grapes are fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel then complete malolactic fermentation and aging in large Slavonian casks. The wine is aged for 36 months in cask and a further 18 months in bottle.
This wine is imported by Kobrand Wine & Spirits and locally available at MacArthur’s. It cost $35 when I bought it but there were only 9 bottles left. I have no contemporary experience with Brunello di Montalcino but I highly recommend this bottle. While I recommend that it be cellared for several more years it is approachable and enjoyable now.
2004 Tenta la Fuga, Brunello di Montalcino
With a few hours of air the lovely nose shows red cherry, raspberry, dusty herbs, and other scents. There are flavors of red fruits, some blue fruit, and cedar. The supportive acidity plays with the gritty, dusty, bright red fruit. Then there are minerals in the finish which has a light amount of fine tannins. There is some enjoyable saltiness. This puts on good weight. ***(*) 2015-2022.