Brunello Di Montalcino Wine

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Brunello di Montalcino D.O.C.G. is one of the most prestigious wines in Italy. D.O.C.G. stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita. These letters are on the pink collar strip on each bottle of Brunello di Montalcino. The D.O.C.G., as a category, was created in 1980 and, out of hundreds of Italian wines, there are just 45 D.O.C.G.s in all of Italy. It is an elite and exclusive category of wine with many rules and regulations, including panel tastings for quality and maximum yields. Brunello can only be made from 100% Sangiovese, known in Montalcino as Brunello, grown on authorised vineyards. There are minimum and maximum altitudes for vine cultivation and there has actually been a freeze on authorisations since 1995. The maximum yield per hectare is 7.000 kg of grapes (the conversion to wine is 68%). The wine must spend 2 years in wood and cannot be released until the fifth January after harvest – so 2004 is on sale in 2009, 2005 in 2010 and so on and so forth. One of the DOCG regulations expressly forbids climate intervention, so any kind of manipulation of nature is forbidden. So no irrigation or smudge-pots and great variation from vintage to vintage. The heatwave of 2003 or the wet 2002 is expressed in Brunellos from these vintages. These troughs and peaks make it hair-raising for producers who can see a year’s work disappear in 10 minutes of hail, but make Brunello a fascinating wine for consumers. In an ideal scenario the difference in vintage quality should determine potential cellar aging – a petit vendage as they French so generously call them – should be consumed soon after release whereas the great vintages should be cellared for 5+ years or much more. Currently there are over 200 producers of Brunello, all essentially following the same “recipe”. What differentiates producers is essentially a mix of two variables; terroir and wood. An estate’s attitude to wood aging is usually a key to their whole wine philosophy. Terroir Montalcino has quite different subzones and an incredible variety of soil types, altitude and so on. Where an estate is – or where an estates’ vineyards are (not always the same thing) – can result in distinct markers. For example the south-west facing low altitude estates have soil that contains marine fossils and was once sea. This can come out in a salty tang or, at worse, as a brackish “salmastro” taste in the wines. The north-west estates tend to have greener tastes due to a slower maturatation due to their position. And so on and so forth. Wood : size, provenance, time in Brunello must spend two years in wood but the original DOCG regulations were for 4 years. The towns’ production is now split between modern “international” Brunello which relies on barriques, 225 liter French oak barrels, and the “traditional” producers who prefer to use the large “botti.” These barrels are made from Slavonian oak and are so large that they can be cleaned by hand i.e. someone actually goes in to scrape them out, and can be re-used for many years. The wood:wine ratio is clearly very different so barrique aged Brunellos tend to spend the minimum 2 years in wood whereas the traditional Brunellos can spend three or even the original four years in wood. The tertiary aromas from the different sized barrels are quite different. Montalcino has every kind of producer and wine philosophy; tiny estates with less than 2 hectares under vine, those who consult the moon before bottling, truly biodynamic properties, VIP owned boutique wineries, ancient Tuscan noble families, locally owned farms and huge conglomerates. Montalcino itself is a terrifically cosmopolitan community. An article recently highlighted that there are 44 nationalities in a town of 4.000 residents… – Description from Laurapal (hide)

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The Montalcino Wine Detective

When I first became interested in wine I used to get Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino mixed up, never mind having difficulty pronouncing them. A few years down the line I’d sorted it; both are from the Tuscan town of Montalcino in Central...

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Popular wines made in Brunello Di Montalcino under $20

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Brunello di Montalcino Gianni Brunelli Tuscany

Varietals Produced in Brunello Di Montalcino View all

Barbera

History of the grape: Barbera is a native to the Piedmont, where it has been growing for centuries, and is now the fo...
Syrah

The irony here is that Syrah’s origins could give Carmen Sandiego a run for her international wallet. Syrah’s deepest...
Nebbiolo

History of the grape: Two schools of thought exist as to the origins of Nebbiolo (which means “little fog” either for...
Cabernet Sauvignon

“King of the Red Wine Grapes.” The colonizer of the vineyards, pushing native wine grapes into its shadows. The Caber...
Sangiovese

Prounounced “San-joh-vay-say,” this Italian wine varietal is Tuscany’s #1 red wine grape. It’s the pistol of Central ...

Popular Wineries in Brunello Di Montalcino View all

Casanova di Neri

The "Fiesole" vineyard is situated opposite the farmhouse of the same name where we have our offi...
Tenuta Il Poggione

In the heart of the Val d'Orcia, a few kilometres from Montalcino, there are places where time se...
Mastrojanni

Established in 1975, today the MASTROIANNI FARM has 90 hectares of terrain, just over 24 of which...
La Poderina

La Poderina is located just south of Montalcino near the village of Castelnuovo dell'Abate that i...
Poggio Antico

First of all the opinion of Arianna and Sabrina on the quality of Poggio Antico's wines. Arianna ...
Fattoi

The 70 hectare holding is divided into 9 hectares of Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino vineyards a...

People getting updates on Brunello Di Montalcino Wines

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Brunello Di Montalcino on Snooth

Dec 23, 2009

23 December 2009 The Consorzio have just sent out a press release for the new traceability procedure via SMS. Send a text message to 0039 366 3008880 with the three capital letters from the pink DOCG strip, the 8 numbers from the strip and the bottle capacity. e.g. AAI 00930123 0.75 In a matter of moments an SMS comes flying back with t...

Comment by 193530Laurapal 193530
Dec 21, 2009

GIRO D’ITALIA 2010 is finishing up in Montalcino! Come and watch bicycles on 15 May. The 93rd edition of the Giro D’Italia will start in Amsterdam on 8 May 2010 and finish at the Verona arena on 30 May. There are 21 stages for a total of 3.415,50 km. For the second time in the race’s history the Giro will be going through Montalcino – on the...

Comment by 193530Laurapal 193530
Nov 27, 2009

Benvenuto Brunello 2010 - 19/22 February BB will be from 19-22 February @ the Fortress in Montalcino. This is an unique opportunity to see most of Montalcino two hundred plus producers standing cheek to jowl in their Sunday best in a tent. It also provides a wonderful occasion to sample 2005 Brunello and 2004 Riservas and form an opinion abou...

Comment by 193530Laurapal 193530
Nov 21, 2009

WINE SPECTATOR TOP 100 WINES 2009 Congratulations to the three Brunello 2004s in the top 20 of WS's top 100 world wines: 11° Poggio il Castellare 15° Castelgiocondo Marchesi Frescobaldi 16° Uccelliera

Comment by 193530Laurapal 193530
Nov 18, 2009

Gambero Rosso Vini D'Italia 2010 - TRE BICCHIERI. Here are the 16 wineries that got the prestigious 3 bicchieri award for their Brunello 2004: Biondi Santi - Tenuta Il Greppo, Canalicchio - Franco Pacenti Canalicchio di Sopra La Cerbaiola Cerbaiona Podere La Fortuna Tenuta La Fuga Greppone Mazzi - Tenimenti Ruffino Poggio di Sotto T...

Comment by 193530Laurapal 193530
Nov 17, 2009

BENVENUTO BRUNELLO 2010 US DATES! Chicago has been chosen as the second U.S. city for the 2010 edition of Benvenuto Brunello. The Chicago tasting is scheduled for February 1 and will be part of a larger program devoted to the wines of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Chianti Classico, and Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene. The New York tasti...

Comment by 193530Laurapal 193530
July 2016

EM - Well at least it should have put you in the mood for South American music ... shared a glass of their 2009 Brunello di Montalcino | Livio Sassetti (Toscana) at $29 per glass and that was a beautiful wine too. All wines were 2009 vintage and very tasty.Oh, the Nationals beat the Giants, 5 to 1. It was a pretty good game with decent weath... Read More

Forum post in the topic Weekday Wines - Post Pictures...
May 2016

Been a little busy - the grim reaper appeared twice in my life since last ... ... Brunello di Montalcino Riserva&nbs Read More

Forum post in the topic Weekend Wines - Post Pictures...
May 2016

Tenuta Poggio Il Castellare Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Pian Bassolino 2007

Snoothrank:

Aroma notes of pansy flower box and fruits, plums, strawberries, cherries, incense and earthy tones lead an explosion of ripe fruit, tasty oak spices and expresso with a tad bit of chocolate thrown in. There are tannins, chewy but fine and well balanced acidity that delivers a long and satisfying aftertaste this last for another 5-8 years ea... Read More

Wine review by rckr1951
May 2016

Tenuta Poggio Il Castellare Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Pian Bassolino 2007

Snoothrank:

No written review

Wine review by khovey
May 2016

Tenuta Poggio Il Castellare Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Pian Bassolino 2007

Snoothrank:

No written review

Wine review by khovey
May 2016

Tenuta Poggio Il Castellare Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Pian Bassolino 2007

Snoothrank:

No written review

Wine review by khovey
November 2015

Nice gift Al.OT, I'm going with NG as your gifter. Lucky you!I neglected to ... today. The wine is a 2008 Brunello di Montalcino, can't recall the producer but dawns a faded black label as is customary for many Brunello's with various red, blue, white, and maybe some gold text colors. Going to guess Fox was my SS as he knows I've liked Brunello... Read More

Forum post in the topic Secret Santa 2015
November 2015

Then, if you want to break the budget, there's always the 1996 Quinterelli ... try some good sangiovese (Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Riserva, etc.) and blends with sangiovese and merlot or cabernet sauvignon ('Super Tuscans') from the northern part of central Italy (Tuscany) when you have a chance, Todd Read More

Forum post in the topic Help with selecting a nice...
November 2015

Fattoria Dei Barbi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2008

Snoothrank:

Slight brick color in the glass. This is not bricking that I might associate with an older wine that had been exposed to oxygen. Thats just the color that it is. Fairly sedate wine that does not assault the tongue with fruit flavors. There is a hint of red berry fruit, but that is it. I do get something of a licorice hint. Very nice. Tart... Read More

Wine review by EMark
October 2015

Fossacolle Brunello di Montalcino 2004

Snoothrank:

Just an excellent brunello from Fossacolle. This is showing just the slightest amount of bricking on the edges. Nice rustic, earthy nose with a good bit dried red and black fruit. On tasting, black plum, black cherry, a touch of tar, bracing acidity, totally integrated fine grained tannins, all in great balance. Read More

Wine review by vin0vin0
Jul 27, 2011

Visited Tuscany the other week (stayed the lovely little village of Campagnatico) and tried the wines from Bolgheri, Montecucco, Morellino de Scansano, Montepulciano and of course Montalcino. Favourites where the Moris farms IGT wine Avvoltore, the Montecucco Riserva from Villa Patrizia and Pieve Vecchia Chorum . In Montalcino the Enotecas an...

Comment by 189779PBK 189779
Oct 12, 2010

Visiting for the first time in January. Suggestions of where to visit? Staying in Florence for two weeks!

Comment by 609606shannonpeter 609606
Aug 7, 2010

Can someone tell me how much a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino 1964 is worth? (Castiglione del Bosco) and Brunello di Montalcino 1979 (Val di suga) Thank you, Kristina

Comment by 549780Kristina427 549780
May 24, 2010

The Bonacchi 2003 Brunello di Montalcino at Trader Joes for 19.99 is worth the price. We brought back several bottles of more expensive Brunello from the region and while this wine does not compare with those, it is a lovely addition to a steak dinner or antipasto platter. For the price you can afford to share with friends and not break the ba...

Comment by 486231YM 486231

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