Brunello di
Montalcino: The 2012 Brunellos and 2011 Riservas

BY IAN D’AGATA | MARCH 1, 2017

Every
once in a while, when visiting a specific wine region, I taste so many good bottles that I find myself
thinking I might just turn in my author’s pen and start making wine (clearly,
such dangerous thoughts last only a second or two before I come back to my
senses). Most recently, this happened during my tastings of the 2012 Brunellos,
when I tried one delicious example after another. Even more impressive, the
2012 vintage for Brunello stands out for its consistently high quality. I found
more good to outstanding examples than in any past vintage and far fewer unfocused,
unbalanced and high-alcohol wines. <img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1488417547882-Giacomo+Bartolommei+of+Caprili+copy.JPG"> 

Giacomo Bartolommei of Caprili 

The News Is Practically All Good in
2012 Brunello

The 2012
Brunellos are characterized by impeccable balance, vibrant acidity and
fine-grained tannins. They are not especially luscious or fleshy, but they are
blessed with precise aromas and flavors of mainly red fruits, blood orange and
minerals, and will prove very ageworthy. For the most part, the wines are also
lower in alcohol than the 2011s are. In ultimate analysis, the 2012 Brunellos
might best be viewed as sharing some of the same qualities offered by the 2006
(but with a less overbearing tannic structure) and the 2008 Brunellos (but with
higher alcohol), although a few producers I spoke with believe that the 2012s
are most reminiscent of the very fine 2004s (for my part, I think the 2012s are
less powerful and tannic). The new set of releases is a much better
better-balanced and more fruit-driven crop of wines than the 2011s. This
superiority is further demonstrated by the fact that many more estates plan to
produce Riserva bottlings from vintage 2012 than they did in 2011.

The
most interesting aspect of the 2012
Brunellos is that they convey a cool-climate personality while in fact the
vintage was characterized by anything but cool weather. A difficult growing season, 2012 was
not just hot but also very dry. In the northern Montalcino sector of Pelagrilli
and in the central-southwest section of Tavarnelle it didn’t rain practically
from the end of April to the end of August. Other sections of Montalcino
benefited from slightly more rain, but just barely. Unlike in 2011, however, the heat and drought started early in
2012, which enabled the vines to adapt, and so the grapes didn’t bake or
overripen as they did the preceding summer when the scorching heatwave hit very
hard and suddenly. Consequently, the grape bunches and berries were small in
2012 (on average, the berries weighed 1.2 grams instead of the more usual 1.6
to 1.8), and the crop was the lowest in a decade.

Clearly, this
naturally occurring yield reduction played an important role in the genesis of
the many successful Brunellos I tasted even from those estates that are not
exactly known for their high EEE values (Elbow Energy Expenditure: my term) in
the vineyards. In fact, 2012 production volumes were consistently down by 15%
to 30% in Montalcino. In order to protect their fruit against the effects of
heat and drought, most estates avoided de-leafing and reduced grape thinning. Others
harvested roughly a week earlier than usual, and still others picked their
fruit in two or three different batches—or more—in order to begin with blends
of grapes that offered a range of total acidity and phenolic ripeness levels.
Rain finally arrived on August 30, and again on September 4 and 5, with the
latter precipitation of paramount importance in saving the vintage.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1488417610592-entry+to+Casanova+di+Neri+copy.JPG"> Entry to Casanova di Neri 

The end result in
2012 is a bevy of refined, classic Brunellos that will repay cellaring. Unlike
in 2011, when the northern, cooler and highest sections of the Montalcino
production zone fared best, quality was more consistent throughout Montalcino
in 2012. Clearly, truly low-lying vineyards and the southern section of
Montalcino were also at a disadvantage in 2012, and they were even worse off when
planted with young vines. Not surprisingly, older vines fared better in the
drought conditions of 2012, as they are equipped with more extensive root
systems that can reach deep for water. For the most part, 2012’s less successful
Brunellos are marred by green, unripe polyphenols or excessive alcohol levels.
Some wines also display an intrusive savory quality due to the lowering of the
water table, which led to wines marked by saline (not mineral) notes that may
not be for everyone. However, as I stated at the outset, the 2012 vintage is a
very good to outstanding one in Montalcino. No, I don’t believe it is a year
that will be remembered for 98- and 99-point wines but it is without question a
source of excellent, well-balanced wines, many of
which are youthfully tight. These latter wines are also quite likely to expand
in bottle and to show the complexity that they only hint at today. For this
reason, I have made more extensive use of + marks following my scores than in
many past years. In ultimate analysis, if you liked the 2004s and 2006
Brunellos, two other mostly outstanding vintages, you will most likely be very
happy with the 2012s as well.

The 2011 Riservas: If You Must...

With
few exceptions (Biondi-Santi or Poggio di Sotto, for example), Brunello Riserva
wines are not all they are cracked up to be, as the long time they spend in
wood (36 months or more at some estates) tends to dry out their fruit. It was
no different in 2011. Moreover, in 2011 the very ripe, low-acid grapes had a
natural tendency to make wines that will evolve faster than usual. Most of the
2011 Brunello Riservas I tasted this year are light and orange-tinged in color
(paler than many 2012s, in fact) and show rather soft, diffuse aromas and
flavors. Many are marred by gritty tannins. That said, some outstanding 2011
Brunello Riservas were made. Readers should seek out those that are recommended
in this report.

I
tasted all the wines in this report in January and February of 2017 during my
annual winery visits in Montalcino and in tastings in Rome.

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