2006 Brunello di Montalcino RevisitedFood
&amp; Wine ClassicJune
2013<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 2006 Costanti Brunello di Montalcino 
 </td>
 <td>
 96+
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2006 Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino 
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2006 Siro Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino 
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2006 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova 
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2006 Cerbaiona Brunello di Montalcino 
 </td>
 <td>
 98
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2006 Pian dell’Orino Brunello di Montalcino 
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2006 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del
 Piano 
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2006 Col d’Orcia Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio al
 Vento &nbsp;
 </td>
 <td>
 96+
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2006 Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino 
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2006 Soldera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva &nbsp;
 </td>
 <td>
 96</td></tr></tbody></table>At its best, Brunello di Montalcino
is one of the world’s great wines. Like Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo, Sangiovese can
communicate an extraordinary amount of detail about site and vintage, all in a
variety of styles. &nbsp;These are some of the
themes I sought to explore in a tasting of 2006 Brunellos I led at the Food
&amp; Wine Classic in Aspen earlier this summer.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1378754297201-2006Brunello3+-+vinous.jpg"> For the occasion I selected ten of
my favorite 2006 Brunellos, spanning a broad range of styles and price points.
In a number of cases I opted for the regular (non-Riserva) bottlings, even
though many of these producers in this tasting made Riservas in 2006 because I
wanted to show that consumers don’t need to spend a lot of money to drink great
Brunello. I also chose to avoid the standard lightest-to-richest ordering of
wines that is so conventional in tastings like this. &nbsp;I often hear the urban myth that concentrated
wines overpower delicate wines in tastings, which I think is a whole lot of
nonsense, but I wanted to prove it.I am deeply indebted to a team of
all-star sommeliers for putting up with my obsessive requests on serving the
wines, but their hard work paid off in a dazzling tasting with so many
highlights it is impossible to know where to start. I was thrilled all the
wines showed so beautifully, and so was the audience. Overall, while some of
the 2006s can be enjoyed now, most of the wines are built for cellaring.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1378754429957-2006BrunelloCover+-+Vinous1.jpg"> We started with two exceptional
Brunellos from the northern section of Montalcino, where the wines are usually
a bit more finessed than they are in the south. I was a bit surprised to see
these Brunellos showing so well considering how young they are, but expect both
to age gracefully for years. Costanti’s
2006 Brunello di Montalcino was simply fabulous. One of the more refined
Brunellos in this tasting, the 2006 was gracious, silky and polished from the
very first taste. What a great start to the tasting. The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino from Fuligni was a littler juicier, richer and rounder than the
Costanti. Few producers do a better job of bridging modern and traditional
styles than Fuligni. What a beautiful wine.Giancarlo Pacenti’s 2006 Brunello di Montalcino impressed for its
balance, harmony and sense of proportion. The combination of fruit from
Montalcino’s northern and southern districts yields a Brunello of incomparable
finesse. A slight bit of dryness from the oak was a distraction. The 2006 Casanova di Neri Brunello di
Montalcino Tenuta Nuova, with its warm, resonant fruit, was a crowd
favorite. And no wonder. It was dark, beautiful and highly suggestive of the
southern reaches of Montalcino, where the climate and vegetation show
distinctly Mediterranean influences.The 2006 Cerbaiona Brunello di Montalicino was the most impressive wine
of the day. It was fabulous when it was first opened, and it stayed that way
over the course of several hours. Layer after layer of flavor blossomed in a
Brunello of true pedigree and class. The 2006 remains one of the greatest wines
ever made by Diego and Nora Molinari. I only wish I owned more of it. In a
word: stunning. Pian dell’Orino’s 2006 Brunello
di Montalcino was another towering wine. Though not quite as overt and
powerful as the Cerbaoina, it too, was remarkably polished and sophisticated.
Pian dell’Orino remains one of the most overlooked estates in Montalcino, but
the wines rarely fail to deliver the goods.Valdicava’s 2006 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del Piano
was another wine that appealed to the audience. And how could it not? A rich,
dark, powerful wine, the 2006 showed all of its depth and pure muscle in a
stunning display of class. It was utterly magnificent. The same can be said
about Col d’Orcia’s 2006 Brunello di
Montalcino Riserva Poggio al Vento. Col d’Orcia places a little more
emphasis on structure than Valdicava, so I was surprised by how well the 2006
showed, considering it hasn’t even been released yet.Il Poggione’s 2006 Brunello di Montalcino was another stunner. The Fransceschi
family and long-time winemaker Fabrizio Bindocci and his son Alessandro do such
a fabulous job with these wines. Yes, the Riserva is also terrific, but on this
day the straight 2006 Brunello dazzled. Layered, rich and explosive, the 2006
conquered all of the senses with its marvelous depth and pure power. Readers
lucky enough to own the 2006 probably want to cellar the wine for at least a
few years. This was a fabulous showing.Delicate wines can’t be fully
appreciated after powerful wines, right? There was not a single person in the
sold-out audience who did not get or understand Gianfranco Soldera’s 2006 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. Even
after huge wines like the Casanova di Neri and Valdicava, the Soldera was
drop-dead gorgeous. The delicate, finessed side of Sangiovese came through in
the expressive, floral-infused fruit. The 2006 has always been approachable
post-bottling, but should also enjoy a long life, even if it isn’t one of the
most structured Riservas Soldera has made.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1378754393709-Brunello2+-+Vinous.jpg"> 















































-- Antonio Galloni

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