New Releases from Montalcino

By Antonio Galloni

At a recent lunch I was reminded of
Montalcino’s potential for greatness when a top producer’s Brunello from an
excellent but not profound vintage outshone some of the most brilliant
Burgundies ever produced, including those of what is arguably that region’s
most storied domaine. 

Montalcino is one of the most
picturesque small towns in Italy. The weather was absolutely frigid when I last
visited, in January of this year, but even still, the light was beautiful and
the vistas breathtaking. Yet beneath all of its considerable natural beauty and
potential, something is rotten in Montalcino. The ‘Brunello-gate’ scandal of
two years ago caused long-simmering tensions among producers to boil to the
surface. The sheer jealousy and cattiness Montalcino’s growers display towards
each other is something I have seldom, if ever, seen in another region. Ask a
producer in Piedmont, Veneto or Friuli about other growers in their region and
you will get a response that is if not flattering, at least polite and that
emphasizes the uniqueness of their respective regions. Even in neighboring
Chianti Classico winemakers understand the importance of putting their territorio ahead of any philosophical
differences that might exist. Not so in Montalcino, where so many producers are
only too happy to tell visitors theirs is the only ‘true’ Brunello or how their
wine was the best at such and such a tasting. Please. The Ilcinesi should be
thrilled. At a time when so many wine-producing regions and countries are
struggling to establish themselves with consumers and the trade, Tuscany and
Montalcino boast a spectacular landscape, a rich fabric of history and wines
that at their best offer a level of regional and varietal typicity matched by
only a handful of other places in the world. When will Montalcino’s producers
realize that their petty behavior is self-destructive and does incredible harm
to the region as a whole?

Perhaps not surprisingly, the
market for Brunello has literally fallen through the floor. The 2003s are
slowly moving through the pipeline, but only with massive discounts, something
consumers don’t really see, as so many wines have ended up as by-the-glass
pours at restaurants. With the 2004s, a number of producers attempted to raise
prices during the most several financial crisis the world has seen in 70-plus
years. A number of people I spoke with told me that a full 50% of the
highly-regarded (but uneven, in my view) 2004 Brunellos remain unsold, while
others were of the opinion that the true number is quite a bit higher. The
prospects for the 2005s, from a much weaker year on paper, appear rather bleak,
especially as consumers and the trade are likely to wait for the 2006s, which
are shaping up to be spectacular. As I wrote last year, demand for Brunello is
highly vintage-sensitive. Producers should be alarmed when demand for generally
well-received vintages is weak, but I am not sure many understand the gravity
of the situation. Those who mistake signs of stabilization in the US economy
for a recovery back to the levels of consumer spending last seen a few years
ago are in for a very rude shock. 

2005 Brunello di Montalcino 

Trying to get a handle on the 2005
Brunellos is quite a task, as there are a number of dimensions to consider.
First and foremost, the 2005 Brunellos are wines of incredible contrasts. The
growing season, and the summer in particular, was on the cool side, especially
during a harvest that was interrupted by rain. As a result, the fruit never
achieved the level of phenolic ripeness seen in years such as 2001 and 2004. In
2005, as in 2004, the fruit ripened fully only in the best-exposed vineyards.
As always, timing is everything. It is tempting to think that in a cool year
the southern portions of Montalcino might be favored, but I also tasted a
number of outstanding wines from the later-ripening northern zones which were
able to recover after the favorable weather that followed the rains. The 2005
Brunellos are relatively small-scaled wines although the best examples possess
gorgeous balance. 

These are open, fruit-driven
Brunellos that should offer pleasurable drinking pretty much upon release. I
see 2005 as a great restaurant vintage and imagine many wines will end up being
sold by the glass, much as happened with the 2003s. Only a handful of wines
appear to have the stuffing to age for an extended period and most wines should
be enjoyed on the young side. My drinking windows are fairly conservative for
the 2005s, as I expect that as the baby fat drops off the acidities will become
more pronounced and will ultimately dominate the balance in many wines. I have
also come to believe that in Montalcino Sangiovese only develops its noblest
tertiary aromas in the finest vintages and microclimates; while in lesser years
Sangiovese can acquire more rustic, gamey notes that I personally don’t find
attractive, although others may. Certainly many 2005s have enough freshness to
last beyond my suggested drinking windows but whether they will be better or
more complete wines is a different question entirely. Given the macro economic
situation, it is a buyer’s market. Readers who are selective should have no
problem picking up some gems.

On a more positive note, the dark
colors of previous years seem largely a thing of the past. In general, this is
a vintage with a lot of Sangiovese character. But the most important factor
influencing quality is that a large number of producers elected not to bottle
their top wine(s), and smartly used that fruit to reinforce their regular
Brunello bottlings. As a result, a number of 2005s are equal to or better than
their 2004 counterparts. Some of the single-vineyard selections that weren’t
made in 2005 include Angelini’s Vigna Spuntali, Ciacci Piccolomini’s Pianrosso,
Casanova di Neri’s Cerretalto, Caparzo’s La Casa and Mastrojanni’s Vigna Schiena
d’Asino; while producers who did not make a Riserva include Biondi-Santi,
Capanna, Caparzo, Caprili, Ciacci Piccolomini, Pertimali and Uccelliera. In all
of these cases, the 2005s represent great buying opportunities as large
segments of the market are likely to look past the vintage as a whole. A few
estates intend to release a Riserva in the future, including Fattoria dei
Barbi, Il Poggione, Poggio di Sotto and Soldera.

2004 Brunello di Montalcino
Riserva

This year’s crop of new releases
includes a number of Riservas from the 2004 harvest. Readers may recall some of
the issues of that year. The vintage itself was picture-perfect; with nearly
ideal growing conditions and a cool late summer/early fall that permitted a
leisurely harvest. It was also a vintage of naturally occurring high yields,
which required growers to be especially diligent in their vineyards. After the
very challenging 2002 and 2003 harvests, not all producers had the discipline
to reduce their crop. Unlike 2001 (Montalcino’s last great vintage), when
nature took care of things with a severe April frost, in 2004 it was solely up
to individual growers to make the tough decisions. Many 2004 Brunellos showed
elements of dilution when I reviewed them last year. That shortcoming is just as
apparent in the Riservas. I tasted a number of wines that clearly do not have
the intensity of fruit to stand up to the additional year of oak required by
law. Many of those wines are already showing forward, oxidative aromas and
flavors and don’t appear to be long-lived, much less be worthy of Riserva
status. It is clear that in 2004 some producers compromised the quality of
their regular 2004 bottling in order to make a Riserva, when they might have
been better off making only a single Brunello. This is especially true of
producers who were unwilling to lower yields. Those wineries essentially ended
up with a sub-par regular bottling and an average Riserva when instead they
could have had a great regular Brunello. On the other hand, I also tasted a
number of fabulous 2004 Riservas that are the wines most likely to build the
vintage’s reputation in the mind of consumers. Riservas from Pertimali, Il
Poggione, Poggio di Sotto, Fuligni, Valdicava, Uccelliera and Ciacci
Piccolomini more than live up to the lofty expectations consumers are likely to
have for the wines. Of course, the Riservas are priced at a significant premium
over the regular Brunello bottlings, and the reality is that only a few wines
are worth that premium.

2008 Rosso di Montalcino

Usually I get excited about tasting
through the latest Rossos, but not this year. Overall I found little of real
interest. The year started off with much more humidity than is typical, which
forced growers to treat the vines heavily or risk the health of their plants.
The summer presented better conditions and led to relatively normal harvest.
The wines themselves are soft, medium-bodied and accessible. The vintage may
end up appealing to readers who enjoy a light, feminine style of Rosso, but
even in the best of cases prices need to be lowered to match the average
quality of the vintage. To be fair, a number of 2008 Rossos had not been
bottled by the time we went to press, but so far I have found very few wines
that come close to matching the heights of either 2006 or 2007. Even more
importantly, a number of 2008 Rossos were flawed, and quite a few wines failed
to cross the 85-point threshold needed to be included in this report. The best
advice I can give readers is to first focus on the best 2006s and 2007s, then be
especially selective when it comes to the 2008s. Let’s hope producers saved
their best fruit in 2008 for the Brunellos.

 

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