2010 Brunello di Montalcino: A
Promise Fulfilled

Two thousand ten has turned out to be a superb vintage for Brunello di Montalcino, Italy's most popular high-end&nbsp;red. The wines&nbsp;capture all the potential I sensed when I
started tasting them from tank in the months following the harvest. At their best, the 2010 Brunellos offer&nbsp;gorgeous Sangiovese purity, tons
of site specificity and high quality across the board, all signatures of a classic Montalcino vintage. Readers who want to take a look back at my early impressions&nbsp;might enjoy <a target="_blank" href="http://www.vinousmedia.com/articles/2006-brunello-the-emperor-s-new-clothes-or-historic-vintage-may-2011">this article</a> from May 2011. In short, after the uneven 2008s and the underwhelming 2009s Montalcino has come back big time&nbsp;with the striking 2010 Brunellos, wines that show just how compelling Sangiovese can be here.

&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1424277666592-Brunello_Potazzine.jpg">

Le Potazzine, one of Montalcino’s most promising young wineries

The 2010 Growing Season

Mother Nature was much kinder to growers in 2010 than she
was in 2009. Most of the complications came early in the way of rain during
flowering, which delayed the early part of the vegetative cycle and also
lowered yields in some places. Summer was largely dry and on the cool side,
with no extreme heat events. Showers arrived in late August, which set up the
vines for a leisurely final phase of ripening under clear skies and perfect
September weather of warm days and cool nights. The Sangiovese harvest at most properties took place between the end of&nbsp;September and the first week of
October, which was anywhere from normal to late by 7-10 days, depending on the
estate.

The 2010 BrunellosThe 2010 Brunellos are mid-weight, translucent
wines with tons of Sangiovese character, expressive aromatics and silky tannins. As such, they will hold considerable appeal for readers who enjoy Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir. I noted a very evident return to a more traditional style of vinification and aging, which only serves to exalt the purity of Sangiovese as seen through the myriad facets of Montalcino.&nbsp;The 2010s are atypically open and quite delicious today. Readers expecting a huge, powerful vintage along the lines of 2006 will be surprised. Above all else,&nbsp;the 2010s speak to finesse. While there are a few wines that absolutely demand cellaring,&nbsp;the Riservas in particular,&nbsp;most of the&nbsp;2010 Brunellos will drink well pretty much right out of the gate. The best wines also have the potential to develop beautifully for many years to come.It is a shame the
members of the producers’ Consorzio continue to vehemently resist any attempt to
define the zones that make up Montalcino’s approximately 2,500 hectares (6,200
acres) of Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino vineyards, because 2010 is a vintage in
which the signatures of the&nbsp;macro-zones are quite evident. What are the key attributes of&nbsp;Brunellos from Montosoli,
Canalicchio, Pelagrilli, Sesta and Piancornello (to&nbsp;name just a few areas)?&nbsp;Vintage 2010 holds the keys to unlock all of that
information. Make no mistake about it, sooner or later,&nbsp;these hillsides and vineyards will be mapped, but it will take someone&nbsp;from the outside who has the strength and independence to not bow to the immense pressures that will accompany the task.

&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1424277611931-Brunello_Mastrojanni2.jpg">

An original planting in Mastrojanni’s Vigna Schiena dell’Asino,
Castelnuovo dell’Abate

The Market for Brunello di Montalcino

The market for 2010 Brunello di Montalcino has already
reached a frenzy the likes of which I don't think I have ever seen. Much of
that reflects a rebound from the underachieving 2009s. At the same time, those who have been tasting and following the 2010s in the cellars have known about the potential of these wines for some time. But what we are seeing is also the classic Brunello syndrome, where the market’s appetite is virtually&nbsp;insatiable in strong vintages, but historically much weaker in average or&nbsp;challenging vintages.

Last year I wrote about the fundamentals I expected to
drive the market for 2010 Barolo; namely the market’s current disenchantment
with Bordeaux and a lethal combination of high prices and no availability of
wine in Burgundy. Those same fundamentals apply to 2010 Brunello di Montalcino, except we
can now add top-flight Barolo to the list of most desirable Old World wines. Factor in the
recent swift appreciation of the USD vis-à-vis the EUR and you have the makings
of a rabid market for Brunello, especially in the Unites States.

&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1424295348165-Brunello_Bottles+-+Copy.jpg">

A Little&nbsp;Historical Context 

There has been quite a bit of discussion about 2010 potentially representing a turning point for Montalcino. As good as that sounds, I don't
think we are there just yet. To be sure, 2010 is an outstanding vintage for
Brunello di Montalcino. As noted above, the average level of quality is quite high.
There is also no question the wines have more Sangiovese character than in the
past. Those are two big positives.&nbsp;But in my view, something is still missing.

Over the years, I have had the privilege of tasting&nbsp;a number of highly regarded vintages, most
often in Burgundy, Napa Valley and Piedmont. Those trips are simply incredible.
From morning to evening, from address to address, the wines are off the charts.
There is a level of visceral thrill and a pure adrenaline high to those rare encounters with truly historic&nbsp;vintages. Sometimes I find it hard to get to&nbsp;sleep, the excitement and&nbsp;vivid memories of the great wines I have tasted during the day
etched into my mind forever, matched only by the anticipation of what is to
come the next day. As good, or even great as 2010 is for Montalcino, the number
of truly epic wines remains quite small for a region with more than 200 bottlers. Most, if not all,
the best wines are from estates that are usually at the top of the pack. So,
while the rising tide has lifted all boats, it has only lifted them to a degree.

One of the strengths of 2010 is the sheer number of above
average, totally delicious Brunellos that capture the personality of the year in spades. Ultimately, that will be the lasting legacy of this vintage. But
where historical track records are available, and eliminating young, emerging
estates where high quality reflects a move along a&nbsp;linear curve of improvement more than it does&nbsp;the quality
of the vintage per se, I am not convinced the peaks of&nbsp;2010 will match those of 2004 or
2006, although it will be close. 

&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1424362904161-Brunello_PoggiodiSottoFINAL.png">

Poggio di Sotto, Castelnuovo dell’Abate

On Scores…

2010 Brunello di Montalcino: A Promise Fulfilled, and the reviews and producer commentaries contained herein – like all of my articles on new Brunello releases – is the result of five years of tastings and estate visits. And that is on top of a lifetime of buying, cellaring and drinking these wines. I&nbsp;started following the
2010s in February 2011, when the wines were still in tank. Annual visits to
reference point and emerging estates provided opportunities to taste the wines
as they matured in barrel. As a last step, I tasted many of the wines in this
article from bottle more than once. Sadly, highly touted vintages such as 2010 in Montalcino often lead to an unhealthy obsession with scores, which is unfortunate, as the information in the producer commentaries and&nbsp;tasting notes is overlooked.&nbsp;Don’t get me wrong, I strongly believe in the value of ratings. In a perfect
world, a score neatly summarizes everything that is contained within a review. But a
number&nbsp;can never give you context, or tell you important things about a wine,
how it was made, and, most importantly of all, if you will like it.&nbsp;I believe it is time for us – all of us – to start giving a
little more importance to words. The keys to understanding these wines lie in the producer commentaries and tasting notes&nbsp;more than it does in&nbsp;the scores alone. &nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1424277508932-Brunello_FuligniCellar.jpg">

The Fuligni cellar, Montalcino

Looking Ahead…

The role of the 2010 vintage in the present-day history of Montalcino&nbsp;will
become clearer with the vintages that follow. The 2011s are the product of a year with an early budbreak, a coolish summer
and an unexpected heat spike during the second half of August. Not
surprisingly, the wines are ripe, flashy and succulent, although today, it
appears quality is higher than 2009. Interestingly, 2012 was very warm and dry, but those conditions held for the
entire growing season, so in the end, the vines reacted by setting a low crop
and never reached the point of stress. From the outset, the 2012s have
presented a highly unusual combination of elevated ripeness and high acidities.
So far, I find plenty of intrigue in the 2012s.

As good as the 2012s are, the 2013s are shaping up to be even better. Stylistically, the 2013s are
mid-weight, floral wines built on salivating acidity, perfumed aromatics,
chiseled fruit and mid-weight structure, all signatures of a cool,
late-ripening vintage. Readers will find wines that have a lot in common with
the Barolos and Côte de Beaune reds of the same year. The 2013 Rossos provide
plenty of insight to the quality and personality of the year. Vintage 2014 presented significant challenges
from the outset. A wet spring made working in the vineyards very difficult.
Poor weather continued throughout the summer. Conditions deteriorated in the critical
weeks leading up to the harvest as rot became a widespread issue and forced producers to harvest or lose the crop. Even so, meticulous sorting was required.&nbsp;Yields are
down around 50% on average, but ultimately grapes did pretty well, as large chunks of the olive production were completely wiped out.

The 2014s are light to medium-bodied wines with lower sugars
than normal that may not have the depth to stand up to two full years in oak.
Biondi-Santi has already announced that they will declassify their entire
Brunello production to Rosso, a bold decision and one that so far I have not
seen taken elsewhere, although pretty much every producer I visited mentioned
the selection of lots in the cellar would be especially severe. Naturally, the
estates I visit represent the higher end of the spectrum, but I have tasted
some pretty and highly promising 2014s so far.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1424277418553-Brunello_Salvioni2.jpg">Tastings wines from cask at Salvioni, Montalcino2010 Brunello di Montalcino – Key Points–	Average quality is higher than normal, although the number of truly epic wines is small for a region with 208 bottlers–	‘Vintage of a lifetime’ type of hype is overdone–	The 2010 Brunellos are true to Sangiovese and are a continuation of a stylistic shift that started a few years ago away from inky, super-concentrated wines of the past–	The wines are highly expressive of site–	Stylistically, 2010 is a vintage of finesse rather than power, closer to 2004 than 2006.&nbsp;Many wines will drink well early, although they will naturally improve over time&nbsp;–	The trade will be aggressive in promoting the 2010s after a tepid response to the 2009s and a lack of other exciting categories to sell in 2015–	A number of Brunellos remain very fairly priced, while the appreciation of the USD vis-à-vis the EUR will be a huge benefit to American buyers, especially for mid-tier wines where there is not likely to be much speculation

Coming Soon

Biondi-Santi: Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 1955-1975Canalicchio di Sopra – Ripaccioli: Brunello di Montalcino Vertical

Brunello di Montalcino: A Look Back at 2004 and 2005

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-- Antonio Galloni

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