Brunello di Montalcino

This is a solid Brunello that is at peak.  Ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, some black cherries, tea leaves and spice.  Medium bodied.  Tannins resolved.  On the palate, cherries with some forest floor.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  There is some complexity.  Better with food at this point.  A nice match with a plate of mushroom pasta.  Drink up over the next few years.  

Impressive showing for this wine which seems to be just getting close to peak.  Garnet in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, black cherries, dried cherries, forest floor and balsamic.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great acidity.  On the palate, this has layers of complexity.  Cherries, dried cherries, dried leaves, and spice.  Complex.  Delicious.  Long finish.  Lovely on its own, but better with food.  What's your favorite mushroom pasta dish?  It went well with a creamy mushroom pasta.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  

This seemed to be at peak.  Ruby in color with a touch of bricking, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, slight black cherries, some dried cherries, slight sandalwood and tea leaves.  Medium bodied.  A good backbone of acidity.  On the palate, some depth and complexity.  Flavors of cherries, sandalwood and char.  Nice finish.  This needs food to really shine.  It would work great with pasta or pizza and I enjoyed it with Eggplant Rotini.  Drink up.  

Very nice showing for this wine if on the young side.  Purple in color with ruby hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, anise, slight tea leaves, and a bit of char.  Medium tannins but smooth.  Full bodied.  Juicy acidity.  On the palate, ripe, black cherry fruit with some anise and smoke.  Long finish.  This is delicious.  Drinking well now and should continue for ten to fifteen more years.  It was excellent with Eggplant Rotini.  

Purple in color, mostly opaque and flat.  The nose is classic older BDM.  Black cherries, cherries, dust, tea leaves and dirt.  Still firm tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, black cherries with cigar/ash and some forest floor.  Very smooth texture.   Long finish.  At or just past peak but drinking quite well.  Drink over the next few years.  Great on its own, this would be better with food.  Pasta with a Bolognaise sauce would be good match.

From the excellent 2006 vintage, this seemed to be just about at peak.  Pop and pour.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is lovely with dark cherries, slight plums, tea leaves, dust and spice.  Full bodied.  Tannins about resolved, maybe some wispy ones left.  On the palate, cherries and black cherries with some dried fruits.  Complex and layered with forest floor/tea leaves and spice.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This drinks well on its own, but would work better with food.  A nice match would be a Lasagna.  Drink over the next five to ten years. 

Cantina di Montalcino is the only cooperative in the Brunello DOCG.  It has just under 100 members who are for the most part, small vineyard owners.  This is an excellent wine and don't be afraid of buying from a co-op.  The vintage, 2017, was hot and dry, and the wines produced were more generous and flashy than a more typical vintage.  The wine is purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, dried cherries, cigar tobacco, spice and slight char.  Full bodied with medium to firm tannins.  On the palate, cherries, black cherries with som

Back when the 1997 vintage was released, there was a lot of fanfare and hype.  Some bought into it and some didn't.  But, the prices rose dramatically and at the time, this was one of the better values in Brunello (around $40).  I was curious how well this held up.  Sadly, after all this time, the bottle was corked (TCA).  What a shame.  

Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, dust, dried cedar and slight spice.  Medium bodied. Wispy tannins.  On the palate, this has a nice complexity to it.  Layers of dried cherries, cherries and forest floor.  Good acidity.  Good finish.  This is past prime and on the way down, so drink sooner than later.  It is better with food.  A nice plate of pasta with a tomato sauce would work well.  

Having tasted this back in 2010, it was nice to revisit this.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  Lovely nose of cherries, sandalwood, black cherries and tea leaves.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, black cherries, some cherries with underlying forest floor.  Nice finish.  Still on the youthful side but starting to show some maturity.  Complex and deep.  Tightly layered.  This should drink well for another seven to fifteen years.  Very nice with a pasta with tomato vodka sauce.