WTN: Brunellos 1988-1995

For a blind starter we were given a small glass of something very strange:



A Port-style wine from Kaliningrad, it was toffeed and grapey, quite a bit like the white Ports I've had - clean and moderate in sweetness. The first wine from Kaliningrad I've had! If anyone knows Russian and wants to tell me more about what the label says, I'd be interested to hear...

Then we tasted the non-joke stuff. Throughout my vinous life I have had a hard time with Sangiovese, but I think I am beginning to enjoy some of them. The problem largely is that we see very few well made but traditionally styled wines here. But I did like the Biondi-Santis and the Poggio Antico; and even most of the ones not to my taste had a tanginess to the palate that I really enjoyed. So who makes a no new oak, bright and tangy Brunello (or other Sangiovese) that doesn't cost as much as Biondi-Santi? Is that an impossibility?

• 1988 Col d'Orcia (Cinzano) Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio al Vento - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (5/27/2008)
  Dark cherry, bittersweet, slightly herbal, it showed an attractive aged character; tannic and lively palate, quite plump and still full of sweet fruit. Quite nice!
• 1990 Tenuta Greppo (Biondi-Santi) Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (5/27/2008)
  The nose at first reminded me of Cantillon's Kriek: funky, bright and cherried with some shite; it became sweetly fruity over time and developed scents of apricot. A little bit sweet, but tangy, very structured, lively and red toned palate. Very bright and transparent. Fantastic stuff.
• 1990 Pieve Santa Restituta (Gaja) Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (5/27/2008)
  Sweet, some toffeed and vanilla notes suggesting quite a bit of oak, dark but cherried, almost over-ripe in its fruitiness. Sweet, quite low in acidity and therefore liveliness, but oddly enough after the smooth attack and mid-palate the aftertaste becomes quite tangy and shows some gripe and even some refreshing qualities. Glossy; it tastes "expensive" but leaves me rather unimpressed.
• 1993 Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio All'Oro - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (5/27/2008)
  This is showing some aged aromatics but isn't in danger of going over the hill soon. Dense, red cherry aromas, a slight touch of dung - all of this is nice. Sadly there is a strong lactic scent also that I quite dislike. The palate is very extracted, dense and herbal, tannic, quite woody. This seems to be too dense a package for me to enjoy.
• 1995 Pian Delle Vigne (Antinori) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (5/27/2008)
  Very sweet, a bit raisiny and over-ripe, dark toned in fruit, liquorous and unrefreshing and frankly not showing much of a Sangiovese profile. Dense, sweet, dark, not really showing typicity. Glossy.
• 1995 Tenuta Greppo (Biondi-Santi) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (5/27/2008)
  Quite a lovely wine: cherry and sandalwood, slightly herbal nose, quite primary fruit still, peachy. It shows some dried fruit character with air. Bright, lively, transparent, strongly structured palate, good length, speaks of the earth. Lovely.
• 1995 Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (5/27/2008)
  Dark colour. Spoofulated and unpleasant: a wine with too much make-up on so the Brunello character is utterly lost underneath. Glossy, dark fruit - doesn't really show the characteristics of any specific grape, just lots of ripeness and lots of oak. Sweet, cloying, anonymous. I quite disliked this one.
• 1995 Pieve Santa Restituta (Gaja) Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (5/27/2008)
  Corked.
• 1995 Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (5/28/2008)
  This was a very charming wine, though it did show a rather sweeter fruit profile than I expected from Brunello. Nicely herbal, with plenty of peach and sandalwood aromas in addition to the bright cherry. Well structured, bright and transparent despite the sweet fruit. Very nice.
• 1995 Tenute Silvio Nardi Brunello di Montalcino Vigneto Manachiara - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (5/27/2008)
  Dark fruit, new oak/toffee; sweet but lively - quite modern in style, well made but not really showing strong Brunellosity.
• 2001 Gianni Masciarelli Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Villa Gemma - Italy, Abruzzi, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (5/27/2008)
  Glossy, dark fruit, banana-esteryness, lots of new oak aromas; tangy palate, but sweet and oaky. If you like Kurni, this might work, but for me this was quite undrinkable.

Posted from CellarTrackerW

So who makes a no new oak, bright and tangy Brunello (or other Sangiovese) that doesn't cost as much as Biondi-Santi? Is that an impossibility?

Thanks for notes. Well, Soldera costs more than Biondi-Santi. Lisini is a more affordable option for Brunello. It's not as rustic as Biondi-Santi can be, but I don't think they use new oak. I've liked a couple of smaller producers (Scopetone and Capanna) I'd guess would be pretty traditional.

My personal choices for value Sangiovese tend not to be Brunello. I like Felsina and Fontodi's Chiantis (both make excellent SuperTs as well, but those I'm sure see barrique), and of course pretty much the entire Montevertine lineup.

I liked a Frescobaldi Brunello at a tasting and found it approachable several years after harvest (that is one of the producers under investigation for possibly using more than the allowed proportion of non-sanctioned grapes.) I agree with Dale on the Felsina Chiantis--I lack experience with Fontodi but know the house is generally well regarded.

For a blind starter we were given a small glass of something very strange:

A Port-style wine from Kaliningrad, it was toffeed and grapey, quite a bit like the white Ports I've had - clean and moderate in sweetness.

A wine from grapes grown in Kaliningrad!? Or is it like British "sherry" assembled in Kaliningrad from grapes grown elswhere? It sounds better than British "sherry".

[Robin Garr]

If anyone knows Russian and wants to tell me more about what the label says, I'd be interested to hear...

I don't know Russian, Otto, and have only a limited grasp of Cyrillic text, but the first four letters of the word at the bottom are clearly "PORT", and I suspect the rest of it is a cognate of "vino" or something akin to that.

Thanks for the further names. Podere le Boncie's CC Le Trame in '02 and '04 is one that I really love and is affordable (but I'm unable to find it anywhere). I'll look for the other names.

Confirmation from a Russian speaking friend: the grapes were grown elsewhere and the wine was made in a "factory" in Kaliningrad. Weird stuff.

If you like Kurni, this might work, but for me this was quite undrinkable.

Hey, I like Kurni, and, in fact, I really liked the only Villa Gemma that I have had too... Send the stuff over here!
Can you buy Villa Gemma in Helsinki?
Cheers, Anders

The 1990 Biondi Santi Riserva is a spectacular wine. I have rarely tasted a Sangiovese-based wine with such aromatic depth. It's been a couple of years since I tasted it the last time, but it was still very primary. Great wine, great Brunello.

We tasted at Capanna last year and I'm pretty sure they said they don't use new oak, just those huge weird ugly Slovenian? barrels.