1995 Brunello di Montalcino Pelagrilli

Giancarlo Pacenti now makes about 1,000 cases each of Brunello and Rosso, as well as about 1,500 cases of a fresh, lively sangiovese grosso (Brunello) labelled as Poggio Cornello. One of the best of the new wave of producers, Pacenti is adamant about both purity of fruit and respect for terroir a difficult juggling act. He uses only the indigenous yeasts on the vines from the two family vineyards, one (about 15 years old) located near the family house and cellars on the rolling hills below the town to the northeast, and a splendid 30-year-old vineyard in the southwest quadrant near Sant'Angelo in Colle, which produces a more powerful, minerally wine. Pacenti uses barriques and botti Indeed, all his sangiovese grosso sees new oak the first year. The malolactic fermentations usually finish in barriques which may help to explain why Pacenti wines have such a velvety texture. Pacenti's wines taste good young, but have the balance and stuffing to age. Even in average vintages, as the 1994 wine attests, Giancarlo Pacenti excels.