Brunello 2018, pleasantness and balance above all

Benvenuto Brunello 2022 has just ended, confirmed in the time frame of mid-November (therefore more than a month in advance of new vintages release) and therefore in fact a preview rather than an evaluation of wines already on the market.

A long-awaited event of which all the insiders in the wine sector have talked – and are still talking – to which I had the pleasure of being accredited and to which I participated (also on this occasion) with great pleasure and curiosity.

 

EVENT GENERAL IMPRESSIONS

It seems mandatory to start with applause to those who took care of event organization and management (as always impeccable) and to a Consortium which is in fact the most cohesive, active and considered in the Italian wine’s panorama.

Also because if for over a week there hasn't been an oenological journalist, wine-blogger and trade magazine who doesn't talk about Benvenuto Brunello and about 2018 harvest in Montalcino, some merit to the Consortium and its work can only be recognized.

The only (small) drawback is the very limited time available for tasting - four hours - which necessarily obliged me to carry out a preventive skimming within the tasting panel.

Skimming that therefore prevented me from trying wine-estates that I didn't know very much and that I would have been curious to "test" but which at the same time allowed me to survive the session and go home on my legs.

In addition to this, a personal criticism to the producers who choose not to participate in the event, while inevitably benefiting from the media and tourist exposure that the event brings with it.

Also because - frankly – I don’t undestand the reason, both for what has been stated previously and due to the fact that in Montalcino there isn’t wineries (especially among those that continue to desert the event), which would suffer "perceptible" economic repercussions if they made 50 or 100 bottles available for tasting sessions.

Some can say that these don’t participate because they disagree with the decision to anticipate the event before the marketing of new vintages, a commercially valid but technically risky choice, since it inevitably exposes the possibility of having wines “less stable and performing”.

If this were the case, there would be nothing to object to, as long as the same producers – consistent with this decision – avoided new vintages tasting before January 1st (date set for trade placing).

Coherence that, however, doesn’t seem to be demonstrated in facts, both as regards private tastings organized for wine guides (especially foreign) and for those in conjunction with the numerous visits that wineries find themselves managing in the latter months of the year.

2018 VINTAGE IMPRESSIONS

Coming to my personal evaluation of the 2018 vintage, to which the Consortium awarded four stars at harvest time, what can I say: naturally very young, in some respects still in the embryonic stage and about which – due to the fact that we are talking about always a preview, which should always be remembered – it’s possible to do nothing more than forecasts, hypotheses that only time will be able to confirm or disprove.

However, something can already be said with reasonable certainty, starting from the fact that it’s a ready and pleasant vintage, different from the previous ones as well as less homogeneous, especially from the one that preceded it, that is 2017 vintage in which richness, ripe fruit and abundant tannins were the redundant characters in almost all of the tastings.

In 2018 – on the contrary – I generally found open and expressive noses even if not particularly complex, and agile and linear mouths in development as well as generally balanced and with tannins already resolved even if - almost always - without that personality and progression that features best vintages Brunello.

As regards the producers choices "obtainable" from the tasting, the majority of those have indulged the vintage (generally with the results described above), the others – probably assuming greater risks – have tried to extract a more "classic" Brunello, played on slightly deeper and more mature profiles and on the contrast between acidity and tannin, in some cases with excellent results, the ones that I ended up preferring.

Regarding the vintage potential, I prefer not to fully unbalance myself, because it’s certainly true that less structures and generally ready wines would suggest rather limited evolutionary skills, but on the other of examples in which vintages that everyone believed to have very long range (such as 2007) soon showed "shortness of breath", as opposed to harvest that were born "small" but then turned out to be authentic marathon runners, there are several here in Montalcino.

Coming to the details of the tastings, always on a personal level, some confirmations with respect to the last few years (Uccelliera, Giodo, Sanlorenzo, Tiezzi), others that in the past had not impressed me but that this time have definitely made me change opinion (Canalicchio di Sopra, Mastrojanni), a new-entry immediately at the top (Gorelli) and finally some that I found not very performing (Poggio di Sotto, Altesino, Lisini), I don't know if due to defective bottle, for the temporary passage through a phase for settling or for other reasons.

Riserva 2017 not assessable, especially considering of the small number of producers that have chosen to bottle it, but in any case, with some more than appreciable versions (above all Sesti and Capanna).

 

 

MY PERSONAL TOP-TEN (WITH ADDED BONUS TRACK)

 

10) Caprili (92/100)

Ruby/garnet, medium intensity. Classic nose, of medium intensity and good finesse, featured by notes of tobacco, wet earth and ripe cherry. Delicate mouth, almost whispered but extremely pleasant and gastronomic. Light and already integrated tannin. Good persistence, final on spicy and dried fruit notes. Version that probably will not be remembered for evolution and kept over time but which today is extremely enjoyable, one of the most ready and precise that I have tasted during this event

 

9) Pietroso (92+/ 100)

Ruby, intact, deep and consistent. Direct and intense nose, youthful and which still lacks a bit of complexity, played on notes of red fruit, spice (pepper) and mineral references in the background. Excellent mouth, full-bodied and rich, in keeping with the corporate style despite the fresher and thinner vintage on average. Good persistence as well as being far from despicable the depth and length on the finish, featured by notes of dried fruit (almond and walnut). An estate that this year is confirmed at high levels, with a more proud and vigorous interpretation of the vintage than the medium.

 

8) Tiezzi Vigna Soccorso (93/100)

Ruby/garnet, slightly more intense than expected, good density. Particular nose, austere, fine and with beautiful complexity, in which, beyond the vintage, you can feel the hand of the producer (Enzo Tiezzi), one of the emblems of Brunello's classicism. Ripe red fruit, aromatic herbs, undergrowth, walnut husk, balsamic references. Medium body, coherent, with no pleasure concessions but featured by elegant sip and good progression. Light tannin. Good but not transcendental persistence, clean and linear finish with notes of red fruit and delicate mineral references. Always good, as well as permanently among the best in the quality/price ratio.

 

7) Giodo (93/100)

Garnet, more intense than average, very consistent. Delicate and youthful nose, less explosive and complex than expected but still fine and elegant, featured by notes of cherry, fresh flowers and a delicate sandal woody nuance in the background. Rich and full-bodied mouth, masterfully balanced between freshness, alcoholic component and tannin, even if slightly impersonal. Excellent persistence, gradually more balsamic finish. Always excellent label, confirming a terroir and enological knowledge of the highest order, even if this year it is less impressive than other times.

 

6) Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona Pianrosso (93/100)

Garnet/orange, medium intense, dense, it looks a few years older than it actually has. Austere, elegant and deep nose, perhaps less coherent than others but one of the few that brings me back to the typical profile of "best vintages" Brunello, marked by notes of tobacco, wet earth, face powder, eucalyptus as well as a light ferrous/mineral background. Rich mouth, coherent, elegant and chiseled, as well as balanced in all its components. Very good persistence, final a bit on the decline, without the progression that I would have waited considering the premises, an aspect that ends up partially limiting my judgment. Despite this, it still remains a very good Brunello.

 

5) Sanlorenzo (93+/100)

Intact garnet, medium intensity, consistent. Very nice nose, a little bit different from typical "Sanlorenzo style" but decidedly fine and elegant, as well as consistent with the vintage, played on notes of fresh fruit, oriental spices, eucalyptus and dried flowers. Coherent mouth, rich but less pulpy than other versions, savory, dynamic as well as extremely balanced and gastronomic. Very good persistence, final on notes of dark fruit and sweet tobacco. A very good interpretation of the vintage, yet another confirmation of the skill of a producer (Luciano Ciolfi) whom I respect as few, as well as – in my humble and personal opinion – best 2018 Brunello considering value for money

 

4) Uccelliera (94/100)

Garnet/orange, classic, dense, also gives the idea of ​​a Brunello with a few more years. Less intense than others but fine nose, very defined, graceful but incisive, played on notes of tobacco, ethereal and dried flowers. Medium body, savory, not impactful but elegant and rich in contrasts, as well as of not negligible progression. Ripe tannin, with a beautiful texture. Good persistence, linear finish and rich in nuances, in which spicy, balsamic and ripe fruit notes are perceived. Among those “consistent” with the vintage, the version I most preferred, further confirming a company that year after year demonstrates value and ability.

 

3) Gorelli (94+/100)

Garnet, intense, dense and compact. Good nose also if not transcendental, a little bit contracted at the beginning and marked by animal and leather notes, and which gradually becomes more intense and opened, showing sylvan notes, red orange and a slight spiciness in the background. Exceptional mouth, full, energetic, with all the components in the right place and with a tannic texture that brings back to velvet. Excellent persistence, finish in which red orange returns together with delicate woody nuances. Although Giuseppe Gorelli is an important and respected name in Montalcino, a great debut for its new adventure.

 

2) Mastrojanni Vigna Loreto (95/100)

Ruby/garnet, less intense than others but equally dense and consistent, as well as luminous. Intense nose, deep and elegant, serious but fascinating, probably the best I have had the opportunity to hear, played on balsamic notes (eucalyptus), oriental spices, black cherry, with delicate nuances of tobacco and licorice in the background. Consistent, broad and full-bodied in the mouth but at the same time well balanced thanks to important components of freshness and flavor. Very good persistence, clean finish with notes of dried fruit. Perhaps the most precise and captivating version of those I have had the opportunity to taste.

 

1) Canalicchio di Sopra Vigna Casaccia (95+/100)

Garnet, classic, rather dense. Intense and elegant nose, with a prevalence of the balsamic component at the beginning, which with the passage of time are enriched by notes of noble wood, powder and ripe fruit. Less aerial and floral than others but definitely beautiful and deep. Excellent mouth, rich and layered as well as in great drive. Ample tannin but of excellent texture, super persistence, final (almost) kilometer progression from purebred Sangiovese. A great version, my best taste, inside a company battery (also including an extremely solid "base" and a very elegant and chiseled Vigna Montosoli) nothing short of surprising.

 

BONUS TRACK: Le Chiuse Diecianni Riserva 2013 (95/100)

Vintage and winery that I carry in my heart, and of which I remembered a “vintage” version that had literally dazzled me from the moment it was released, in terms of density, contrasts and length. So great was the curiosity about this "postponed" Riserva. Ruby/garnet, quite intense, dense and of great clarity. Delicate but very defined and elegant nose, played on notes of ripe red fruit, dried flowers, tobacco and sandalwood. Full bodied mouth, tasty and with still intact acidity, which certainly does not lack drive and progression, as well as harmony. Dense tannin but of fine definition and perfectly integrated into the structure, very long persistence, final in which delicate woody references return to accompany notes of bitter licorice. A great Brunello, with evolutionary margins that cannot yet be circumscribed