2013
Brunello di Montalcino: The Throwback Vintage

BY ERIC GUIDO |&nbsp;FEBRUARY 01, 2024Montalcino’s climate and wines have greatly changed over the last 20
years, and that change accelerates with every passing vintage. The idea of
having a cool and extended growing season is slowly disappearing into the pages
of history, as even the top years of the last decade would be considered warm
by the standards of the past. Today, the quality of a vintage is less about the
overall climate and more about how the individual sub-regions find balance and
deal with the warm and dry conditions that are now the norm. However, 2013 is the
year in recent memory that we can still look back on and undoubtedly consider a
throwback or even classic.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1706717714281-Castelnuovo+dell%27Abate+looking+out+toward+the+Orcia+valley+from+Poggio+di+Sotto_copy.jpg">At Castelnuovo dell'Abate, looking out toward the Orcia Valley from Poggio di Sotto. Interestingly, from a seasonal weather standpoint, 2013 draws comparisons
to years that didn’t yield such classic wines, such as 2005 and 2008. That is
partially due to a combination of precipitation and cool conditions that all
three seasons exhibited. Yet, as each year shows its strengths and weaknesses,
2013 resulted in beautifully balanced wines due to warm and sunny weather at
the end of the season, propelling the berries to ideal ripeness. Rain threatened
many producers at the end of September, but most were able to avoid any issues
through properly timed harvests. Two thousand thirteen was a successful year
throughout the entire region, which seldom occurs in modern-day vintages. From
northeast to northwest and southeast to southwest, collectors will more success
stories than failures. Numerous wines show wonderful transparency of terroir.
The tragedies that did occur had more to do with farming and timing than
location because some producers chose to pick prior to the forecasted rains in
late September and failed to achieve phenolic ripeness.

As great vintages go, we look to 2004, 2006, 2010, 2016 and now
2019 as some of the best years of the last two decades, as each displays
balanced wines that blend power and richness. What 2013 has that most of them
lack is a combination of finesse, zesty acidity and tenacity, coupled with the
structural girth to propel them to the age of 20 or beyond. Upon release, 2013
could have been considered an early-drinking vintage or “restaurant vintage”
because the wines displayed such charm and mouthwatering qualities right out of
the gate. Yet, even in their youth, the 2013s would sneak up on the taster,
slowly building with structural tension and concentration, simply begging for a
chance to blossom properly. When compared to the sun-kissed 2011s and 2012s,
two years that truly are “restaurant vintages,” the contrasts are pretty obvious.

Today, the 2013s have hit a pleasant stride in their evolution,
where some are just on the cusp of early maturity, and others are demonstrating
the balance, depth and complexity to continue evolving for another ten years or
more. Most of the wines I tasted for this report are still in an adolescent
stage—all elbows and knees and full of angst—yet some are beginning to reveal their
inner beauty. As Sangiovese ages, it softens, seeming to gain in both volume
and weight, providing a perfect juxtaposition to the wines’ zesty acidity and
often saline character. This is also one of the last years in the past decade
where the majority of the wines finished in the 13.5-14% alcohol range, as
opposed to the new normal of 14.5-15%, making them a total pleasure, wibalance
that keeps bottles emptying at an accelerated pace. Savvy consumers can still
find them in the market, and likely at reasonable prices.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1706717736142-The+new+normal%2C+veraison+in+mid-July+during+the+2023+vitnage+_copy.jpg">The new normal&nbsp;is veraison, pictured&nbsp;in mid-July 2023. 

Readers will also find several Rossos in this report that have matured
gracefully and are a testament to the quality many producers now choose to strive
for within the category. This is a perfect example of how beneficial it is to
consider cellaring Rossos or buying them in larger quantities to follow as they
evolve over time. I expect years such as 2016 and 2019 will bear similar
results. Baricci, Le Potazzine and Pian dell'Orino make Rossos of particular
note.The 2013 Growing Season While the results are quite spectacular, the journey to achieve that
level was far from easy. The 2013 vintage began with a cold winter and a rainy
spring, leading to uneven flowering that reduced yields by up to 30%. Late
spring into summer remained cool, yet there was an increase in temperatures and
sunny skies from mid-August into September, allowing the vines to catch up and
ripen the berries. However, with rain in the forecast for late September, some
growers chose to harvest early, resulting in grapes that had not achieved
physiological ripeness. Cool, breezy conditions followed, and sunny weather resulted
in perfectly ripe fruit and a mid-October harvest. Most producers, on average,
harvested as much as two to three weeks later than in recent years.

The 2013s are blessed with soaring aromatics and elevated
acidities thanks to large diurnal shifts. For me, 2013 lags slightly behind
2010, 2016 and 2019, simply from the standpoint of overall balance, but the
wines are cool-toned and possess a charm and seductive, sultry character that
cannot be denied. Expect the best of them to make it to their twentieth
birthday easily.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1706717771074-2013+BdM_Bottles+%281%29.jpg">I tasted the wines for this report through a combination of
producer visits and in our New York office in the latter part of 2023. Many of
the wines came directly from producers’ libraries, yet quite a few were sourced
from my own cellar and those of fellow collectors. It’s important to keep in
mind that the fifty-plus notes in this report are just a snapshot of the wines
from 2013, yet the wines were specifically chosen in many cases for the
potential they showed upon release. © 2024, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.<hr> You Might Also Enjoy<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/buckle-your-seatbelts-2019-brunello-and-2021-rosso-di-montalcino-dec-2023">Buckle Your Seatbelts: 2019 Brunello and 2021 Rosso di Montalcino</a>, Eric Guido, December 2023 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/2018-brunello-di-montalcino-the-rubik-s-cube-vintage-dec-2022">2018 Brunello di Montalcino: The Rubik’s Cube Vintage</a>, Eric Guido, December 2022 <div><div><div><a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/jekyll-and-hyde-2017-brunello-di-montalcino-and-2016-riservas-dec-2021">Jekyll and Hyde: 2017 Brunello di Montalcino and 2016 Riservas</a>, Eric Guido, December 2021</div></div><div><div></div></div></div>

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