2004 Poggio Il Castellare Brunello di Montalcino
BY ERIC GUIDO |
With happy memories (and a stained palate) from my tastings for the 2001 Brunello di Montalcino vertical that was recently published, I thought it was about time to look ahead to the next highly-praised year - the cool, balanced and abundant 2004 vintage. It was a year where Montalcino finally saw some relief after the substandard 2002 and torrid 2003 vintages. The warmer south benefitted more than the cool north in 2004. The biggest challenge for these estates was to not allow themselves to get greedy, as the plants released the energy they had in reserve from the previous year, which resulted in a generous amount of fruit. Green harvesting and strict selection was necessary to create a truly great wine. My first taste of the 2004s was in 2010, and while I found some wines lacking the primary fruit to hold up to long-term cellaring, the majority of the 2004s were packed full of potential and depth, in spite of their youthfully dry and dusty tannins. As a result, I bought deeply.
