Poggione Brunello 04 - against the tide

[rjsussex]

Poggione Brunello 04 has, as I'm sure you all know, got ecstatic reviews from WA (Galloni - who seems usually very reliable?), TV comic Vaynerchuck etc. I bought a case at the (very fair!) release price of c£20 a bottle. First bottle a few months ago seemed not that stellar so last night I gave a second bottle a good look. Price meanwhile in UK is about £35.

And it's not that stellar. The nose is perfumed but also a bit musty. The palate has warm tannins and soft if not very focussed or pure fruit and the finish is decent but the acidity seems too low for Sangiovese and the fruit eventually seemed to dry out in the glass. It's a good £20 bottle and to be fair that's less than Paradiso di Manfredi's 06 Rosso di M (c£24) but the latter wine is much, much more classy, piecingly pure and exciting. I also prefer, in a lighter style, Pertimali's Rosso 06 (Livio Sassetti: c£18). This Poggione Brunello in comparison is rather international and I'm not sure if its balance promises a very assured future. Will sit on my 10 bottles and hope so.

Just been on cellartracker and I'm not swimming entirely against the tide - there's some real disappointment out there with this one, as well as many rave notes. (See Keith Levenberg's note though his mark is a bit mean!)

Richard

[jal]

Thank you, I also purchased some based on Galloni's review but also because I really enjoyed past vintages from this estate. Asimov in his Brunellos review in the NY Times also sounded underwhelmed and I may just wait a while on my three bottles.

re Galloni, I was really high on him a couple of years ago but have been disappointed with some of his good reviews of 2005 Chiantis, I am not so sure now that his palate is that good. To the dismay of some of my fellow BWEers, I may have to give the nod to Suckling as the better Tuscany wines reviewer.

[Comte Flaneur]

Thanks Richard - where is Keith Levenberg's note posted? - He seems to have a most discerning palate

I am another who bought this wine - a case - on the strength of that Galloni review - I should have known better and much prefer buying on the reccomendations of wine drinking/wine board buddies than professional reviewers - guess I will just sit on them for a few years and keep my fingers crossed

I had a pretty sassy Rosso last week...Salvioni 2007...still needs a year or two to calm down but pretty impressive!

[Houndsong]

I guess this wine was offered and bought on a prearrival basis. I feel your pain but you guys have it all over me. The only fine wine store in Colorado Springs does have some nice wines but not a good selection of anything necessarily getting reviewed by the heavies. So I'm stuck buying from remote internet retailers and either a) buying some quantity without trying (prearrival or otherwise) or b) buying a sampler of 6 or 12 and then often by the time I've tasted through them they're no longer available.

[rjsussex]

Thanks both - and for the Rosso tip! I'm getting addicted to good Rossos. Do find the Pertimali and the Paradiso di Manfredi if you can.

Is Asimov on the 04 Brunellos available? The Levenberg review is on the third or so page of the Poggione 04 reviews on cellartracker.

Best - Richard

[jal]

Here's the link, Richard:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/06/dinin ... llo&st=cse

If you have a problem viewing it, let me know and I'll email you the article

[Michael Malinoski]

I had a somewhat abbreviated experience with the wine a few weeks back. It was being served at a tasting that I had to unexpectedly leave in a hurry, but here were my impressions based on just one fairly quick (for me) glass:

This smells of dark cherry, plum, fig, chocolate pudding skin and exotic spices in a sexy, luscious package. In the mouth, is is rich and full-blown, with full body and unctuous texture. Although our host thought it maintained an airy feel, my take was that it was extremely chocolaty, dense and grounded. Woody tannins give the finish a tough, clipped feel after the velvety mid-palate experience. Spiced cherries galore provide a ton of flavor, but the tannins are just so dry and tough right now, that my advice is to stash away for a good while.

-Michael

[Jay Winton]

I've yet to have a high end Italian I thought worth the freight. Nothing over $30 retail is my general motto.

[rjsussex]

Thanks - Michael's 'tough, clipped' finish is what I felt at the end of the evening / end of the bottle.

Richard

[rjsussex]

And thanks Jacques for the link!

[Comte Flaneur]

And now the Keith Levenberg note (I hope I am not infringing any copyright, but this is such an entertaining and damning tasting note)

Il Poggione (Proprietá Franceschi) Brunello di Montalcino (Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino) 10/1/2009 Keith Levenberg 80

"I have to admit it, curiosity got the better of me and I felt compelled to try the Antonio-anointed 2004 Il Poggione. Going in, I wasn't sure whether I'd get the pleasure of a great wine (as others of Galloni's recommendations have been) or simply the pleasure of being contrary. The latter pleasure wins out. First sip is OK. Deeply fruited but not fat, and with tannin remarkable for its softness despite the fact that there's a whole lot of it. Doesn't take long before the dominant element of the wine is the fruit's sur-maturite. Pruny, figgy, that kind of thing. It isn't a fruit bomb, just raisined. The proportions stay relatively restrained despite the flavor. I also understand the wine saw some French oak, and fortunately it's pretty subtle. You don't really taste it until the finish, which is cedary. This is usually the point in the note where one compliments the "deftness" of the oaking, and while it might indeed be deft it's also totally unnecessary; the wine would have been better without it. Overall, it's not an over-the-top Michael Bay-movie kind of wine in the fashion of many WA95's; it's more like a Tom Hanks-movie kind of wine, like it had gone through a dozen focus groups. Better with age? Maybe, and it'll need it, since the tannin, soft as it is, is abundant enough that the wine becomes aggressively drying. Wish I'd bought a 375ml to sample this instead of a 750, since there are gonna be lots of leftovers. (7393 views)

Moral of the story WA95 beware?

[Blanquito]

Interesting thread here. I bought 6 prearrival, tried one recently. I was a bit underwhelmed, but I came away thinking this would be a good wine with time. Maybe not 95-points good, but perhaps 92-93 good in 5-to-10. I didn't get any raisiny flavors a la Keith; my experience was more akin to Michael's. But I have little track-record aging brunello, so perhaps my hopes for improvement are unfounded.

The sad fact is, a good brunello for $40 is a rare deal in the USA.

So what of Galloni? I've tended to find him pretty solid in Barolo. My tests of his palate in Tuscany have been less consistent, but I've never really disliked a wine he recommended (unlike some Parkerized Right Bankers that RMP loves which I find nearly undrinkable). One thing I dislike is that Galloni's style seems to have morphed into cheerleading here and there (just like RMP's reviews have), and that gives me pause. What do folks think of Daniel Thomases? I never seem to see Suckling's reviews listed very often.

[rjsussex]

Ian - is that the Salvioni Rosso 07 from Goedhuis - have just asked them to keep the last 12 for me over night? Tanzer (Agata) gave it 92

Thanks - sounds great

Richard

[JonoB]

I tried this straight off the bat and could see where Galloni was coming from; but trying it since, it was in the process of closing up (so probably completely shut down now)...regardless, I felt it just needed time. He gave the Salvioni a better score, so let's see. I think it's going through it's grumpy phase. Broch in about 5 years + perhaps?? At least it is subtle as oppose to a fruit bomb which will give it hope.

Glad the 07 was good Ian; will keep mine hidden for a year or so.

[Comte Flaneur]

Jono/Richard (aka BWE UK mafia) (what appened to Phil?)

I got both said wines off Jono

Richard the Salvioni Rosso is not for the faint-hearted and has not settled down yet but I love its raw allure (and I love this estate's wines - the Brunellos are quite pricey though)

[JonB]

Suckling's review on the Poggione Brunello was 91, saying best after 2010. Tanzer's was 93. If it lives up to its reviews, that is a good price.

Do Brunello generally drink well this young?

Here's Ian d'Agata's take on the 2005 Brunello:

Although there are some thin, awkwardly acidic wines that lack Brunello’s structure, power and ageworthiness, many 2005s are wonderfully perfumed and precise, exhibiting sangiovese’s ineffable aromas and vibrancy to full effect, if generally in a lighter than usual style. In more than a few cases, the ’05s are superior to their siblings from the 2004 vintage—an obviously riper vintage that was nonetheless overrated by some critics. In short, the finest wines from 2005 are altogether different in style from the best of 2004: the former are captivatingly perfumed and lively, while the latter will appeal more to drinkers who prefer their wines shapely and creamy-rich. For what it’s worth—and I personally place no faith in the system whatsoever—the 2005 vintage was rated four stars by the Brunello consortium, only one less than 2004. While the high points of 2004s surpass those of 2005, the latter vintage appears to have had fewer low points, as you can tell from the very small number of “also tasted” wines in my coverage.

[rjsussex]

Thanks Ian!

Jono: I feel I should know you? Have I bought from you?

Richard

[JonoB]

Not that I can remember!!

But there is always a future...

[rjsussex]

Thanks Ian! The Salvioni Rosso 07 is superb - another piercingly pure wine with chalky tannins that soften over the evening - this is certainly Brunello standard and worth the £26. Glad I got the last case.

Richard

[JonoB]

If it wasn't for the price, I'd buy Salvioni Brunello every year. Alas, I stick to the great years. But the Rosso is superb and I really should look for the 08 as well.

[rjsussex]

Hi Jono - do you sell Salvioni? Is the 08 Rosso as good as the 07?

Thanks

Richard

[JonoB]

Richard,

I own some 07, but haven't tried the 08... from experience these wines drink in good years like 07/08, for between 4-10 years. Ominously, a friend tried the 04, and said that it was drinking really well but fully mature. It was drunk about 1 year ago. But they don't like their wines so mature these guys.

To go against the grain (which I shouldn't) I used to have access to loads every vintage at good prices, and I'm sure that I can pull a few strings.

In terms of style, 08s from that part of the world are much riper and less minerally, not quite as meaty or perfumed IMHO. But considering I only see this as a pre-release offer usually, it is hard to fork out the cash to try it. If I see it somewhere, I will report back to you and let you know.

Jono