Brunello
di Montalcino: The 2001 Riservas 

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The 2001 vintage in Montalcino continues to provide a
number of superb wines. The best Brunello Riservas have expressive aromatics,
vibrant, ripe fruit, sweet tannins and the ability to continue to improve with
bottle age. Readers will also find a number of wines that offer rewarding
drinking today. Of course Montalcino is home to an extraordinarily diverse
variety of terroirs, microclimates and winemaking styles, all of which
are reflected in the wines. For an in-depth discussion of these points readers
may want to re-visit my introduction to the 2001 Brunello vintage on this site.

To qualify for Riserva status Brunello must spend a
minimum of three years in oak as opposed to the two years that is required
normally. Whether the extra year of oak is beneficial to the wines is highly
debatable. Some of these Riservas are clearly more complex than the normal
bottlings, yet in many cases the Riservas offer a relatively small step up in quality
but are priced considerably higher than the normal bottlings. A handful of
estates also demonstrate a tendency to overdo their Riservas, which results in
overblown wines lacking finesse and elegance. Lastly, there appears to still be
plenty of 2001 non-Riserva Brunello in the marketplace as well. Readers should
be opportunistic about acquiring those wines when the price is right. 2001 is a
very complete vintage for Montalcino. The finest 2001 Brunellos are sure to
provide much pleasure, especially at the dinner table, where the wines will
offer their greatest pleasure.-- Antonio Galloni

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