2014 Rosso di Montalcino Ginestreto

It's always a pleasure to stop by Fuligni and taste with proprietor Roberto Guerrini. There are a number of promising wines in the cellar, starting with the 2012 and 2013 Brunellos. In 2014, yields are down 50% across the board, but Guerrini plans to bottle a small amount of Brunello. As always, the Fuligni Brunellos sit comfortably between classic and more modern styles, which, among other things, means the wines tend to drink well with minimal cellaring. Guerrini ages his Brunellos in a combination of 500-liter barrels and larger casks. Tasting the wines from oak, it is clear as night and day that the wines from cask are much more delineated and energetic than the wines from smaller French oak barrels. Fuligni insists that French oak helps to set color, but all it takes is one look at the wines to see that color intensity and pigmentation are not issues here at all. Turning to the wines in bottle, both the 2011 Brunello and 2010 Riserva are strong.