Brunello/Rosso di Montalcino roundup: 18 wines, 10 estates

[rjsussex]

Very exciting for an old git like me, who thought claret and burgundy were all there was to life, to fall in love with the wild loveliness of well made 100% Sangiovese from Montalcino.

Have been obsessively buying, tasting, reading. Lively debates about whether the zone has expanded too fast (quadrupling of vineyard area since the landmark 97 vintage, with doubts over the south west sector of the zone - clay soil unlike the very mineral-rich soil around Montalcino itself where Biondi-Santi first set up the story and where the best estates still seem to cluster), about traditional use of large Slovekian casks as against more modern use of small French barrels; about the 'Brunello-gate' illegal blending in of Cabernet, Merlot etc to add international-style colour; about varying standards of Rosso whereby the best estates treat it identically to Brunello apart from the amount of barrel-ageing while others use inferior grapes from inferior parts of their holdings.

Anyway here's a summary of where I am so far, with apologies to experts out there who know all this. Alphabetically, by estate. UK prices. Favourites starred.

- Fuligni Brunello 04 (c£35). This is terrific but needs a long time. Very pure, intense, backward and minerally-long. Seems to me, as a novice, a traditional style compared to Lisini and Poggione. Good value compared to many famous names. *
- Fuligni Rosso 04 (c£15). This and the below seem to me Rossos made in a rather modest style, clean and true but not exciting. Drink up.
- Fuligni Rosso 07 (c£14). Value, lively, perhaps showing some lack of selection but typical lingering finish.
- Lisini Brunello 04 (c£30). This estate is due south of the town and seems to me to show the richer, perhaps more international style - but that might be the winemaking. Whatever, this is a lovely mouthcoating and intense wine, broad and exciting and more forward, less tight and less pure than the Fuligni. Love it just as much but the Fuligni has the edge. *
- Lisini Brunello 03 (c£20 in sale). Value but shows the unbalanced 03 heat.
- Lisini Brunello 01 (c£30). 2 bottles were oxidative. Sent the other 4 back.
- Lisini Rosso 04 (c£16). Bottle variation here as above and below. At best, a really attractive style of Rosso, good concentration and fresh acidity and length.
- Lisini Rosso 06 (c£16). A`touch less pure and intense than the 04 but good in its rich, clean style. on this evidence I prefer Lisini Rosso to Fuligni.
- Paradiso di Manfredi Rosso 06 (c£24). Made by ex-Biondi-Santi people. Very exciting, piercingly pure wild-cherry aromatics, and a backward but slowly unfolding succulence of lingering ripe and supple fruit and lovely length. They say it's made identically and from the same fruit as the Brunello and it shows. Love this a lot. Favourite Rosso. Worth the price. *
- P di M Rosso 07 (c£24). Only one bottle tried and seems disjointed as against the 06 but will probably be fine in time.
- Pertimali Rosso 06 (c£18). Another lovely wine. Burgundian mouth-feel (Chambolle). More forward and less seamless, and less intensely pure, than the P di M 06. Again, that long finsih that seems to come with quality Sangiovese. Best value Rosso for me? *
- Piccolimini Rosso 06 (c£16). This seems clearly more modern and extracted. Bit blunt.
- Poggione Brunello 04 (c£20). (Just south of Lisini.) See thread on this ('swimming against the tide'). Value but I don't think it has the balance and acidities of the best. High Galloni points but...
- Poggione Rosso 07 (c14). Value but really rather light and insubstantial.
- Poggierolino Brunello 01 (c£23). Tiny estate. This I think is very traditional - evolved colour, still very backward and rather severe from this big-framed vintage. Bracing acidity, biting tannins, but all in balance. *?
- Pian dell'Orino Rosso 07 (c£20). Quite a buzz around this tiny, new estate. Biodynamic etc. Non-Italian owners. Extremely pretty aromatics, closest in style to P di M 06 on the nose. Very succulent, a touch soft-focussed on palate, perhaps little lacking in verve and grip. From non-Brunello parcels. Lovely but perhaps the Pertimali has the edge and the value.
- Renieri Rosso 06 (c£16). Not obviously Sangiovese, More like a Chianti. No.
- Salvioni Rosso 07 (c£26). Starry estate whose Brunello is highly prized. They didn't make any 06 as all the Brunello was so good which suggests the Rosso is not identically made but this is another terrific Rosso, wild and focussed, with marked tannins for a Rosso, slowly softening over the evening. Only had one bottle as only have one case and no more in UK. Will sit on the rest. *

Hope helpful and happy hunting.

Richard

[rjsussex]

Forgot to add a note on the alleged greedy prices of Brunello.

The best and most expensive wine in this round up is the Fuligni Brunello 04, still (despite some very big scores) around in UK for c£35. This is world-class wine. What does £35 get you from an equivalently good claret vintage, 05? Answer: Chateau Clarke (Listrac)! Batailley is £37, Ht Marbuzet is £39, Cos Labory is £46 - you get the picture. And in Burgundy £35 won't get you a decent 05 1er let alone a grand cru, of course.

Richard

[Blanquito]

Thanks for the notes and enthusiasm, Richard. I've really become enamored with Tuscany wines in the last year and a half, first going ga-ga over Chianti and then Brunello. I think the mistake many make in the USA is drinking them too young, at least Chianti where even the lesser estates show much better with 5-10 years under their belt.

[JonoB]

Richard, nice notes... Interesting about your experiences with the Lisini, could they have been stored poorly before your purchase of them?? The 01 I mean? As I've had some great 01 Lisini's.

[rjsussex]

UPDATE

- Sesti Rosso 08: a touch confected and commercial, I think. Small-barrel ageing gives toasty spice which I think is a touch overdone. But fair value.

- Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello 04: this is exciting. Seems to be an insider's tip in Italy and 04 seems to have been their best ever. Lucky to get 2 cases at £27 a pop (seen it on USA websites at c$75): at that price this is my best value Brunello, easily, and I think in sheer quality it's up with Lisini if not quite Fuligni - though for my taste I think I prefer it (today) to both those starry names. Deep colour; haunting, scorched earth and sour cherry nose, really complex; big rush of velvety fruit and lovely balance and mouthfeel, perhaps the fruit is so upfront that it seems to fade a bit abruptly but the length and finish are pure and clean. 3 years in large Slovekian oak, a year in bottle so it's traditional, more so than Lisini to my taste though perhaps less classically austere than Fuligni. A superb bargain.

[Comte Flaneur]

" Salvioni Rosso 07 (c£26). Starry estate whose Brunello is highly prized. They didn't make any 06 as all the Brunello was so good which suggests the Rosso is not identically made but this is another terrific Rosso, wild and focussed, with marked tannins for a Rosso, slowly softening over the evening. Only had one bottle as only have one case and no more in UK. Will sit on the rest

I had this tonight Richard watching the Bank of Japan intervene in the FX markets...

It was young and modern and alcoholic, but boy what a cracking wine! By far the best Rosso I have ever had - smashing!

[oldwinenut]

Richard - Those are some great notes and you enthusiasm shines thru like bright acidity. To bad that you had poor bottles of Lisini as they are one of my favorite producers of Brunello. When I first tried a few Brunello's, someone told me to look to try the "off" vintages in Montalcino to see who the great producers are. That's when I discovered Lisini. I have had incredible bottles of their 1987 vintage in the last year or so and the 1995 is drinking great today. I have only tried one bottle of the '01, befor I pirchased some, and found the wine to be stellar but in need of serious cellaring. The '04 is also going to be fantastic. I think that Blanquito has it spot on about drinking these wines too young.
I believe that Chianti's expression of the Sangiovese grape is in some ways more traditional than Brunello and the region never suffered thru what just happened in Montalcino with the allegations of adulterated wines. IMHO, Chianti is a better QPR. One question about Brunello which still needs further clarification is the tremendous differences in the color of the wines. I know that the talk was about the use of different clones of Sangiovese grosso. The other little known fact about Brunello is that it is entirely legal for a producer to add up to 17.5% of Brunello from another vintage to "correct" a wine. I don't know of another wine growing region which allows that for their top wines. That being said, I still love them and drink them but not as much as in the past.

[JonoB]

Don't want to take this away from the theme, but I don't know why they want to weaken the yen right now. They are going to need to buy lots of things from abroad to rebuild. Surely you want the yen strong to make things cheaper? ! ,! !

Within Japan cheaper raw materials will mean that goods produced in Japan costing yen will also be cheaper.

Regardless, Salvioni Rosso is great... I should probably take my other 6 out of storage soon!

[DavidG]

Guys, I am going to be in Tuscany for meetings this summer and may have a day to get away for some fun. Any particular places not to miss? Wineries? Restaurants? Will be in Grosseto but will rent a car. Probably wont know which day I'll have free until last minute, so setting up appointments may not be possible.

[Blanquito]

David, based on my recent trip to Tuscany:
- Sienna is much more beautiful than Florence, but quieter.
- Panzano is small but lovely and has lots of excellent Chianti producers nearby (Fontodi, Giorgio Primo, etc.). The best producers require an appt for a tasting. Plus, the drive to Panzano is really lovely.
- Greve in Chianti has a pay-per-tasting cellar with 100+ wines and prices ranging from 1-12 euros. Plus a free olive oil tasting.
- Lucca is charming and medieval.
- Pisa is run-down and dull.
- In Florence, there's an incredible gelato shop (listed in the Lonely Planet as having the gorgonzola gelato- I can't recall the name).
- In general, the restaurant recs in the Lonely Planet were spot-on, and if followed, provided wonderful meals and gelato. Beware that everything good is closed from 2-6 or something like that.

Have a great trip!

[Ramon_NYC]

If you're into eating casual or won't mind communal tables, then here are some of the terrific eats places in Florence where we enjoyed some very traditional Tuscan foods (no foams, I promise) and good local wines:

Trattoria Sostanza
Via Del Porcellana, 25/R
50123 Firenze (FI), Italy
+39 055 212691
Great steaks, easily the best Bistecca all Florentina that I had anywhere, and this restaurant have always been must for us when in Florence. Fyi, those Chianina beef when done right, and as they’ve perfected here, makes one terrific meal for a carnivore. Casual and communal dining, but you’d need to call at least a week or 2 in advance to get a reservation. Pretty good wine list selection, almost all Sangiovese-based and Super Tuscans, but the owner’s son or the wait staff seem to always steer patrons to go for their own, much, much cheaper carafe-based, drink-all-you-can, wines which went very well with our food. The trippa al Fiorentina and their house-salads will complete your night.

Trattoria La Casalinga
Via Michelozzi 9r
Between Via Maggio and Piazza Santo Spirito, In the Oltrarno
If you won't mind trekking across the Arno, this very casual, lunch place, filled with locals, day workers and neighboring business people is another terrific foodie joint. It’s a little difficult to find in Oltrarno, but this busy restaurant is worth looking for especially if you’re tired of jostling with the crowds in the main heavily-touristed areas. Traditional and home-style Florentine food for the masses, with one of the best ribollita and trippa that I’ve had anywhere. Ultra cheap, but service is no-nonsense efficient. Like most of these local places, everybody drinks the restaurant's own carafe-based wines.

Le Volpi E L’Uva
Piazza dei Rossi
055 2398 132
You would probably, and rightfully, assume that we like getting away from the heavy tourist crowd areas with these recommendations. As soon as you cross the Ponte Vecchio, in Oltrarno, you will find this wine bar in the small, unassuming piazza on your left. Popular with locals.
Excellent selections of artisanal cheeses and cured meats from all over Italy and neighboring countries. They have a pretty robust by-the-glass wine list with mostly bottles of hard-to-find stuff from all over Europe. Knowledgeable barkeeps and very good at steering and making recommendations. A good stop to get away from it all with good well-priced wines by the glass. Very casual and a relaxing place to have a light and restful lunch (or pre-dinner drinks).
http://www.levolpieluva.com/index_e.html

Nerbonne
Inside Mercato Centrale in Florence.
Another traditional local eateries, but this one is right smack in the market in the heart of the city. You’ll be eating with construction workers, market vendors and tourists (yes, this seems to be pretty much in every travel books), but is always worth it as a lunch stop for a carafe of wine and some good fresh foods. The bolito sandwich (boiled beef) is a must. Darn good fresh local specialties. Nice market to walk around in. Communal tables.

Buon appetito.

Ramon

[Tom In DC]

Starting from Grosseto, and even with a car, a day trip into Florence would be a pain -- Google says a bit over two hours driving each way, good luck with parking, yada, yada, yada. And I'm saying this despite the fact that Florence is probably my favorite place on earth!

Knowing your taste in wines pretty well , I'd suggest heading up the coast about an hour to Bolgheri. Great producers -- to my taste, at least -- abound, using mostly Bordeaux grapes. Our daughter Maggie and I spent a couple of days there last year and found plenty of great places to visit and a couple of terrific places to eat.

Sassicaia, Ornellaia, le Macchiole and Grattamacco probably lead the pack, but were very difficult to get into. Antinori, Gaja, and recently Allegrini also have significant estates in the area.

We did manage a visit at Michele Satta, finding a great lineup of wines, ranging from 100% Sangiovese to mainly Cab Sauv, along with a couple of whites and a delicious rosato. We didn't visit Argentiera, but tried a couple of wines at lunches and dinners and I found them very good. We have some Sondraia and Aia Vecchia in the cellar, and they both seemed open to drop-ins, but we didn't get a chance to visit there. The area where wineries are located is very compact, certainly the closest thing I've seen in Italy to say, Napa's Silverado Trail.

Food-wise, Osteria Magura (sp?) was a meat-lover's paradise -- we shared some of the best dry-aged beef I've ever had, from a Tuscan butcher (can't recall his name) who's been featured a bunch of times on the Food Network and the Travel Channel. I can't promise that every visitor to Enoteca Tognoni who orders a glass of Sassicaia at lunch gets the royal treatment -- after lunch, they asked if we wanted to "try a few wines" and proceeded to open at least a dozen different Bolgheri wines for us -- but the classic Tuscan food was excellent, and the selection of Bolgheri wines was encyclopedic, and at good prices.

But if you do go to Florence, I completely agree with Ramon that the boiled beef sandwich from Nerbonne in the Mercato Centrale makes the entire trip worthwhile, although actually getting your meal can be a challenge (hints: watch a few locals work their way through the system, and get the green sauce.)

[JCNorthway]

My 2 cents. If you have only one day, spend it in the country, not Florence.

[DavidG]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys! Been to Florence and Siena before and as Tom notes, Florence is a good drive, so it will depend on how much free time I have.

[rjsussex]

Thanks for the replies!

Updates again:
- Cerbaiona Rosso 07: very expensive but nabbed 6 in a sale. Very similar to the Salvioni in style, perhaps a touch more traditional. Very subtle fragrance, succulent and structured.
- Salvioni Rosso 08: had to rush to get any at the opening price. This seems cleaner and brighter than the 07. Lovely.
- Paradiso di Manfredi Brunello 01: first bottle of 2 was oxidised (like my bad luck with the Lisini 01s - or is just me being obtuse?). Second bottle was terrific, very traditional but have to say not worth nearly twice the Rosso 06.
- Paradiso di Manfredi Brunello 04: I preferred this to the 01 but again I'm not sure if it was worth the premium over the Lisini or the Fuligni 04 - and, again, it seemed not that much of a step up from the Rosso 06 which is still my benchmark for ultra-pure Sangio and a great bargain at c£24.

Best
Richard