2001 Brunello di Montalcino (Magnum)

In 2001 Siro Pacenti didn’t produce a Riserva and so the Brunello di Montalcino benefited from its fruit as well. Today, the same wine carries the title of Vecchie Vigne, hailing from two vineyards, one in the north of Montalcino and the other in the south, both of which were planted in the 1970s by the previous generations. Giancarlo Pacenti spoke about changes in the form of clonal selection and higher-density planting for new vineyards, as well as their recent organic certification. The modern winery also makes use of optical sorters and precise control over temperatures and fermentations, while vinification and aging has remained the same; in the case of the Brunello di Montalcino, twenty-four months in 228-liter French barrique. I’ve always found that the style of Siro Pacenti does an excellent job of bridging the gap between the Old World and New, and the 2001 was no different. If anything, I was extremely pleased by the balance it has maintained over the past twenty years.