Brunello di Montalcino is a visibly limpid, brilliant wine, with a bright garnet colour. It has an intense perfume, persistent, ample and ethereal. One can recognize scents of undergrowth, aromatic wood, berries, light vanilla and jam. To the taste the wine has an elegant harmonious body, vigorous and racy, it is dry with a lengthy aromatic persistence.
Because of its characteristics, Brunello can be aged for a long time, improving as the years go by. It is not easy to determine exactly for how many years it improves.
It depends on the vintage. It varies from a minimum of 10 years to around 30 years, but it can be kept for even longer. Naturally it must be kept in the right way: in a cool cellar, but above all with a constant temperature, in the dark, without noises and smells; the bottles should be laid horizontally. Minimum aging in bottles: 4 months 6 months for the Riserva Colour intense ruby red tending towards garnet as it ages Odour characteristic intense perfume Taste dry, warm, lightly tannic, robust and harmonious.
Minimum alcohol content The elegance and the harmonious body of this wine allow for accompaniments of well structured and composite dishes such as red meats, game — both feather and fur, possibly accompanied by mushrooms and truffles. It also goes perfectly together with international cuisine dishes with a base of meats and sauces. Brunello is also an excellent accompaniment for cheeses: seasoned tomes, Tuscan pecorino, structured cheeses.
Moreover, because of its characteristics, it can be enjoyed as a meditation wine. Brunello di Montalcino wine should be served in ample shaped rounded crystal glasses, so as to gather its composite harmonious bouquet. The very old bottles should be decanted into a crystal jug, in order to oxygenate them better and offer the wine in its total purity.
Montalcino, a land dedicated to quality, does not stop at Brunello in the field of prize wines. Perhaps for this reason, for the first time in Italy, producers from this area were allowed to obtain from the same vineyards, two denomination of origin wines, based on precise technical evaluations: Brunello, destined to age for a long time, and Rosso di Montalcino , a younger wine that combines with its superb structure, attributes of particular vivacity and freshness.
A valid alternative for the producer, it is also one for the demanding consumer. Rosso di Montalcino is harmonious, elegant, sapid, not overly exacting but a pleasant accompaniment.
Brunello di Montalcino wine comes from vineyards ranging from feet in elevation to those at 1, feet in elevation. Higher elevation grapes grow in more gravelly and galestro soils, where red fruit notes take center stage. Due to the varied habitat and sunny environment — coupled with the lengthy initial aging period — Brunello di Montalcino wines have strong complexity that shifts between earthiness, savory herbs and dark red fruits.
Interestingly, there are noticeable differences in the wine that come from the type of oak cask used for the aging. More modern methods use French oak barrels that imbue the wine with oak flavors and softer tannins, along with vanilla, chocolate and sweeter fruits. Which method is used boils down to producer preference; some producers use one or both styles for the minimum amount of time, and others stretch out the oak barrel aging as long as possible before switching to bottle aging. In two words — a lot.
Barolo and Brunello are produced in different parts of Italy from two different grape varieties. As a result, there is far more diversity between these two wines than there is similarity. Barolo, on the other hand, comes from the Piedmont area of Italy — located in the northwest part of the country.
Situated in the foothills of the mountainous Alps, Piedmont has reduced rainfall and a significant number of foggy days. The Nebbiolo grape is thin-skinned and small compared to the large and luscious Sangiovese Grosso grape, and it is typically high in acidity and tannins.
Although geographically and culturally similar to Chianti, Montalcino has sandier soils and more limestone than those further north. In the northernmost reaches of the DOCG, soils are more calcareous and enjoy a cooler microclimate. Throughout the region, vineyards are planted at to meters elevation; due to the steep terraces here, much of the harvesting is done manually. The very best vineyards are found on the southern-facing slopes that look toward the Monte Amiata mountain range, a ridge of rocky peaks that acts as a barrier to rain and hailstorms.
These lighter Montalcinos are easier to drink than their more established counterparts and generally represent an excellent value. They also give consumers the opportunity to enjoy wines without waiting half a decade while they mature in the barrel.
The number of producers here has skyrocketed since the s when only the Biondi-Santi family made Brunello di Montalcino. These days, plus producers make some 3. Major players like Antinori and Angelo Gaja also have wineries here. The grapes here ripen up to a week earlier than nearby Montepulciano. The terroir in Montalcino has limestone, schist, clay, volcanic soil, and galestro crumbly marl.
The style and complexity of Montalcino wines depend much on this terroir. The Rosso di Montalcino DOC appellation was a way to let Brunello winemakers have something to produce while waiting for Brunello to age. But this also means that Rosso is more approachable than Brunello, being lighter and less tannic.
These have to be bottled in the Siena province. They can be single varietal wines or blends using both international and local grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay , and so on. Moscadello di Montalcino is a sweet white wine made from white Muscat grapes and comes in three styles — still, sparkling and late harvest. Brunello di Montalcino is popular, expensive, and also one of the most counterfeited wines.
The wineries who made it later declassified these wines. Brunello di Montalcino wine undergoes an extended maceration period during alcoholic fermentation, where the flavor and color are extracted from the skin. A secondary malolactic fermentation typically follows before the wine is ready for aging. These barrels leach very little oak lactones into the wine and are used simply as containers to allow oxygen exposure for tertiary flavor development.
Wines aged this way tend to develop more dried fruit, floral, forest floor, and leather flavors with long aging potential. Some winemakers consider the traditional method taking too long to age Brunello. Oxygen exposure increases due to the smaller barriques, so the wines will be ready to drink sooner than those produced traditionally.
These wines tend to have more black fruit, brown sugar, chocolate, and vanilla flavors. The aging method can impact how a Brunello di Montalcino eventually tastes. But this wine has such an ability to evolve that the longer it ages, the more its taste profile changes. The most common expressions of this wine include an intense, persistent perfume with scents and flavors of aromatic wood, underbrush, blackberry, black cherry, light vanilla, and jam. Young Brunello is fruity and floral, featuring cherries, dried cranberry, wild strawberry, blackberry, violets, and licorice.
The tannin is mouth-gripping with a high acidity that ends on a tart, astringent note. Old Brunello would have aged at least 10 years.
It becomes mellower, with sweeter notes of candied cherries, dried figs, hazelnuts, and sun-baked leather. The tannins soften, turning chocolatey, and the acidity is luscious. Look for plenty of red fruit flavors and high acidity for an age-worthy Brunello wine. The elegant composition of Brunello di Montalcino, with its smooth tannins, fruit-driven personality, and high acidity makes it a good pair for red meats and game accompanied by fleshy mushrooms or truffles.
Cheeses like the Tuscan pecorino, seasoned tomme, or other structured cheeses are also suited to the Brunello. According to the Consorzio del Vino Brunello Montalcino , there have only been eight stellar vintages in the last 20 years. These are , , , , , , , The Brunello di Montalcino, for example, is reputed to be an exciting vintage of vivid fruits, fresh acidity and chewy tannins. A wine enthusiast or collector should keep an eye on these vintages for their great aging potential.
The Argiano estate has been producing wines since the late s and currently makes five wines — Brunello, a Rosso di Montalcino, and three Toscana IGT wines. This Brunello is earthy on the nose with a velvety palate. Fruity and structured with hints of tobacco, chocolate, and a smooth finish.
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