In the Tuscan wine capital, among the hills and cypress-lined avenues, perched houses and endless vineyards, the 2010 vintage of Brunello di Montalcino and the 2013 vintage of Rosso di Montalcino were presented. I had never been to this small medieval commune of just over 5,000 inhabitants, and I must say I loved it! I had recently been to a vertical tasting of Brunello di Montalcino organised by AIS Romagna in Ravenna in collaboration with the Cantina Col d'Orcia (I will tell you more about this extraordinary winery soon... in another article!), which was kind enough to send me invitations to the Benvenuto Brunello event.
From this photo, you can marvel at Montalcino's evening life... which I can assure you is more intense than that of Ravenna... even if it ends quickly: the restaurants' kitchens close around 9.30 pm on average (the first night we were left without dinner because we went out around that time, unaware of the curfew...). Luckily we had a small aperitif with local products and two glasses of Brunello 2010 from the Canalicchio di Sopra winery in our little flat where we were staying! By the way: for the occasion we had chosen to stay in the Relais vineyard of this small winery and I must say that it deserves a separate article as it was so pleasant!
But back to the event! I was lucky enough to go with Andrea, a dear sommelier-taster friend who, in my opinion, understands wine like few others! Tasting together and comparing notes was really enjoyable and relaxing... I think we will do it more often from now on!
First of all I would like to compliment the organisation: truly perfect! Everything was very neat, from the branded pencils to the spiral notebooks for the tasting notes with one page per winery with all the contact details of each one. At last! They should do this for every event... and then in Romagna we are surprised if the Tuscan brothers are so much more advanced than us in the marketing and pricing of their wines: they know how to sell them!
Very pleasant ambience, shame about the overcrowding on a Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately due to work commitments it was not possible for me to go earlier, and this certainly limited the number and quality of tastings. The aisles were too narrow for the amount of people present and some guests were more there to drink a lot than to taste excellent wines. I confess that these beautiful orange citrus fruits were really fragrant and the temptation to pluck one and taste it was great... but I held back out of respect for the place. It was a pity that the Asian guys who were present started to break out the tree to make them fall... these things really make me angry!
Out of 135 producers, we tested 37 for a total of over 90 Brunellos tasted. If I have to summarise the 2010 vintage, I can tell you that it was exceptional, destined to be long-lived and absolutely worth the investment. Among the wineries tasted, 4 Brunellos of Montalcino 2010 to buy and 'forget' a few years in the cellar:
Brunello DOCG 2010 Col d'Orcia250,000 bottles produced in the traditional manner, aged 36 months in Slavonian oak barrels. Very clean nose, fruity, toasted and spicy aromas in perfect balance, on the palate it satisfies with an important structure, lively but well-blended tannins, great softness and excellent intensity and persistence.
Brunello DOCG 2010 Mocali - CRU Vigna delle Raunate6,000 bottles produced in the traditional way, aged for 36 months in large Slavonian oak barrels, it is transparent, with a beautiful garnet red colour and great texture. Notes of black cherry, cinchona, liquorice and ink. Very clean mouthfeel that faithfully reflects the perceived nose. A further positive note about this extraordinary Brunello: it won me and Andrea over. I love woody hints and softness, he does not like wood and prefers lively tannins. Yet we both found it absolutely perfect.
Brunello DOCG 2010 La Velona20,000 bottles produced in an innovative manner, the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in French oak barriques and remains there for about 1 year. It then matures for 24 months in Slavonian oak barrels. This process results in a wonderful fusion of the woodiness with the intensely fruity aromas of the Sangiovese. A beautiful intense garnet red colour, the tannin is present but soft, the finish is persistent although not very long and the balance is really pleasant.
Brunello DOCG 2010 Le Macioche10,100 bottles produced in the traditional way. Intense ruby red with garnet highlights, intense and spicy aromas, dense and persuasive tannins and a very long finish. The aromas are very distinct and there is a nice correspondence between nose and mouth.
What struck me about this wonderful vintage is the difference between the results of the various producers. The climate was certainly favourable, but the skill of the winemakers resulted in splendid wines on the one hand, and on the other in wines that after five years look old, with a very oxidised and washed-out colour, and taste like water.
In the evening, we returned to the beautiful Relais di Canalicchio di Sopra, had a relaxing shower and after a tasty aperitif went out for dinner. As anticipated, we did not find any open kitchens so we stopped at a nice restaurant in the centre of Montalcino called Franci.
Here is a classic example of when appearances can be deceptive: the well-kept interior hides an almost non-existent and unprofessional service. We asked to taste something, were told that the kitchen is closed, and were given a board of mediocre sliced meats covered in oil (I still shudder to think of the oil on finocchiona) which they had the nerve to make us pay even rather dearly for compared to its obvious mediocrity. And perhaps we found them even worse because of the delicious homemade aperitif made with crudo, lonzino, sausage and local pecorino cheese bought at the Taverna di Baietto, which was wonderful and really affordable (I'll just tell you that we spent just over €8 and they even gave us free bread).
Finished with a bitter taste in our mouths for the very bad Brunello di Montalcino we drank and the even more tragic Moscadello di Montalcino 2013 from the Azienda Capanna (full of suspended particles that we couldn't identify if it was a problem with the wine or the dust in the glass) that reminded me of our worst sweet albanas of 8.5 % vol (and that's saying it all) we also had the surprise of the bill: 2 goblets of brunello, 2 goblets of moscatedello, 1 bottle of water and the plate with sliced meats cost a whopping €37. And if they had been good it would have been fine, but given the quality we found it to be an exorbitant amount! I'll just tell you that the following day we had a very good lunch at the Osteria di Porta al Cassero, recommended in the Slow Food Guide, for €41, having a Tuscan antipasto (made up of cold meats and crostini), 1 dish of pinci con le briciole, 1 dish of pinci with porcini mushrooms, 1 mineral water and 2 glasses of Brunello di Montalcino!
Another thing we really appreciated was that, without asking us, they brought us two different glasses of Brunello for us to taste. I want to emphasise that the Luciani was really a surprise, among the best we drank!
Leaving the Osteria we headed to the Col d'Orcia estate for a guided tour and tasting. Apart from the fact that it was so beautiful, interesting and instructive that it deserves a reserved article that I will do soon, I will just say that tasting the new Brunello di Montalcino 2013 was really exciting. I did not expect it to be like this: very fruity, really lively tannins and important acidity. These things really make you understand what is behind a Brunello after 1 year of ageing and what you can expect after another 5 years.
Col d'Orcio is happy to welcome wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs for a visit to discover the vineyards and cellars... and you can feel it! Lots of passion in explaining the love and care with which the wine is made on the estate, and although the numbers they make are considerable, quality is always in the foreground. And if you let them know in advance, the housewives at Col d'Orcio will prepare traditional Montalcino dishes based on seasonal products from the estate (artisanal pasta made with Senatore Cappelli wheat, evo oil, pecorino cheese, produce from the garden...). We therefore ended our wine itinerary at Col d'Orcia with this beautiful tasting, but I confess that we will be happy to return, on a beautiful sunny day and with more calm, for lunch at the estate. Perhaps next year!
To discover what we tasted and to enter the magic of this splendid and ancient estate owned by the family of Count Francesco Marone Cinzano, you just have to wait for my next article! Fellow wine lovers, sommeliers and producers who read me... all that remains for me to do is to greet you with a piece of advice:
A hug to all!
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