2003 Pertimali (Livio Sassetti) Brunello di Montalcino- Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (7/9/2017)
Wow, in a wonderful place right now. The more 2003s I have from this region, the more I continue to be impressed. Not only is this packing freshness, it’s packing a nice balance of elegance and substance, too. The middle is broad, the flavors run deep; certainly average+ complexity. If you’ve got some, it’s time to look at one. Just lovely and a true pleasure. A few very good year yet ahead. highly recommended
Served non-blind, one hour in wide-bottom decanter. Cork and fill nearly new.
I haven’t had the pleasure of drinking a Pertimali with that much age on it, but I did have a 2010 recently, and it was hands down the BEST BdM I have ever had.
Candidly, my only experience with an older vintage was a 2006 (7?) Conti Costanti and it was delicious as well.
I have about 45 various 2010’s resting in my cellar, and cannot wait to start tapping into them in about 3-5 years…
I’ve always liked Pertimali, but they had a down phase (?99 and 2001?) where there were a lot of flawed wines–corked or just underwhelming (prob lightly corked), and this scared me away. I do have a few 04’s that have been fine. I also remember some aspersions from a few years ago that were cast about wines from other vintages being mixed in–not sure if this was ever proven to be true. Not sure if anyone else has more accurate recollections about these matters.
Thanks for the note, Tim; the only 2003 I’ve got from the region is Il Poggione’s and from your note on the Pertimali it might be time to try it.
John, I liked Pertimali’s '99 but the single bottle of their 2001 that I’ve tried was odd – not exactly awful, but it had a stewed quality (stewed vegetables) that I wasn’t looking for and didn’t love. I guess you could call the flavor olive tapenade if you were being generous. I think Galloni mentioned issues with their wines at that time.
John, your timing is a little off - Antonio gave the 2001 a 92, and Tanzer gave it a 94 (high praise from Steve) and also gave the '99 a 93.
In looking back, Antonio only scored the 2006 89?, and his commentary referred to dull flavors and almost stewed fruit. If my memory serves, there were some concerns during this time period regarding cellar hygiene.
To add an edit, I don’t even see reviews of Pertimali’s Brunello included in the Vinous write-up for the 2007 and 2008 vintages, although after his commentary on the 2006, he may not have even tasted those vintages.
Bob–could be that my timing is off, although I think there were a lot of corked bottles during 99-2001–obviously, Steve and Antonio didn’t taste those.
I remember making an unanounced visit the winerey in 1997. The two brothers, who were taking their nap, were roused from their sleep by their mother and told in no uncertain terms to attend to the customers (me). The 1990 and 1991 were very good.
I have noticed a lot of vintage variations with Pertimali. While the 2010 was incredible, the 2011 I had over the weekend was not up to the mark. The tannins were not well rounded and the alcohol spiked in the back-end.
I’ve recently had the 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010. All but the 2009 were delicious (with 2001 and 2010 the standouts). Sounds like from the notes above some people got some cooked 2001, but my bottles to date have all been spectacular, and based on my last bottle the wine is fully expressive and ready to drink (although if you prefer more tertiary character, it can certainly be aged more).
The 2008 was a pleasant surprise as I have generally not found 2008 to be a nice vintage for Brunello, but the Permitali was terrific.
