I think Brunello needs to be differentiated on the quality of the soil found on specific sites but this will never happen (and the zone approach will not help since soils differ too much over these zones). The result is that too much “Brunello” is quite mediocre and without any real distinction. My favorite producers are Poggio di Sotto, Biondi Santi and Soldera but even these are not as exciting as Montevertine IMO.
Anyone who is thinking about giving in to vintage hype on 2010 Brunello seriously needs to try some highly rated wines from the last few hyped vintages, many of which already have a foot in the grave.
Based on the 1970and 1975 Il Poggione, I have faith in these. And also in Cerbaiona, based on the 95. Other than that I can’tsay, but then I buy very few others (Salvioni, Costanti, Pian dell’Orino). I wish I could afford Soldera.
After attending yet another disappointing Brunello tasting, this time of some of the “better” wines from 1999, 2001, and 2004, I would wholeheartedly agree. Many of the wines were falling apart, and those that weren’t were not necessarily anything to write home about. Most Brunello makers are fooling themselves and us at the same time. They are trying too hard to make something special out of something that is in reality mostly ordinary. You are much better off buying a good estate’s base CC and drinking it whenever you want over 10 or 20 years. The wines often age far better than Brunello in my mind because the estates understand sangiovese and the wines are not overwrought, overworked, overoaked etc. Oh, and by the way, they are far cheaper.
I will try out a few usual suspects: Il Palazzone, Il Poggione, Fuligni, Biondi Santi.
Taylor, Felsina’s CCR isn’t really a near term drinker, nor just a mid-termer, IMO. I had their '88 CCR in 2013 and it was sublime. As much as I like Barolo and Barbaresco, Sangiovese in the right hands gives a lot of the satisfaction of Nebbiolo, but without the S&M.
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Sounds like a must-try producer then! Chianti/Tuscany is one of the traditional wine regions I haven’t really ventured into. I feel like I know nearly nothing about the producers or vineyards.
It is probably worth weaving the comments of Doug, Tom and Kevin together to observe that it makes sense to look beyond Brunello for your Sangiovese needs. I have a 6.0L of Le Pergole Torte in my cellar. I have no idea why, but I sleep better at night!
I think most reviews are mostly padding, using the same old go to phrases. That said, I don’t find them entirely useless. The choice made by the reviewer of his/her favorite go to phrases to describe a wine is still insightful. I am looking mainly for wines with purity and finesse rather than lots of oak and “gobs of fruit”, and I usually have a pretty good idea of what I’m getting when I read Galloni’s reviews… Suckling’s reviews, on the other hand, just tell me that he REALLY liked a wine at the moment that he drank it - usually because it had lots of everything. Not terribly helpful to me, or a very good gauge of its ageing potential.
This. And it seems to me that, overall, CC may be cleaning up its act a bit, Brunello not so much. And despite what is in my cellar, I have to agree that no Brunello is worth $150 a pop, much less the $600-800 some are paying for Soldera’s non-Brunello. I have too many 1997s and tiny quantities of the best 2001s, 2004s and 2006s, often single bottles, just to say that I checked in and tasted them.
So, Michael S., it seems that the emerging consensus is against “fair and balanced”, but still better than Suckling. Here is a bone, though…Galloni seems to appreciate some of the best Chiantis being discussed here, as I recall, but also the Frankenchiantis with the Cab and Syrah in them…
Lovin’ the Brunello hate, you are keeping inflation way down, judging from the 2010 pre-arrival prices I’m seeing. Drinking a 2003 Pertimali right now that cost at most $50 and is a solid 94 points – crowd-pleasing and complex. Do I care if it’s complex “enough” to justify a 20-page thesis on how it distinguishes itself from another vineyard 20 yards away? Nope, there are other regions to satisfy that type of need.
And weave that thought together with the fact that Galloni is not sure that the 2010s are up to stuff with the 2004s and 2006s. That being the case, one might ask where “the promise fulfilled” in the title of his article lies…that he posted his Brunello article as promised? 
Well, not exactly. Brunello like keeps the prices up on the tiny handful of the best, and beyond that, there is a sea of Brunello out there for the crowd, yearning to be pleased. Most Brunello ends up in the U.S. and maybe Germany, as nearly as I can tell. There seems to be little or no market for it in Italy, and only a tiny secondary market for it anywhere, since it tends not to appreciate in value. All of that tells its own story about Brunello. Your future pleasure seems assured, Nick, with or without Brunello haters. Complexity? Not so much. Mostly found in tasting notes rather than the wines themselves…
Sounds like a win for Nick - he gets a crowd-pleasing (and personally enjoyable) wine at a price he likes. I may not share his enjoyment of the wines, but we may be seeking different things.
as for 'is a solid 94 points", I do find this worse than the odd repeated TN *cliché. It is not “a solid 94 points”. It might be a wine that Nick likes and if trying to assess it against the modern day 100 point scale, he’d think 94 would be a fair rating.
If however he tasted it in a blind line-up and consistently came up with the same number, then maybe “solid 94 points” may be applicable (albeit to him and his palate preferences).
- However I recognise that such repetition can become irritating if you read a collection of TNs from the same person. I recall one regional Aussie critic who frequently wrote “x, y, z… that’s what I get on the nose”. with the italic section repeated every 5th or 6th TN.
regards
Ian
Taylor,
I agree with others that the Felsina CCR and Rancia both do best with age. I think the Fontalloro drinks very well relatively young. It’s still Sangiovese but is not CCR because the site lies just outside the designated area (or is actually half in, half out, Inthink). " Sculpted" maybe, I think of it as a bit bolder and richer and fruitier and less backwards and rustic in youth. I have limited experience with older vintages, though I have some in the cellar to try…
Where are all the Brunello defenders? Maybe they are just keeping quiet (due to reasons astute Nick R. pointed out). I went to a tasting last month that had dozens of 2010 and other Brunelli as well as several Chianti Classicos. Most were fantastic. I was sold on 2010 (as I was on '04 & '06). There are many wonderful Brunelli available around $50. But, if you prefer something else, the more for the rest of us.
Well said! Red & White Burgundy are my first love followed immediately by Barbaresco & Barolo. I also dig Brunello too though and like ANY other red it depends greatly on the producer. There are at least a dozen ethereal, elegant, complex Brunello if your just a little bit choosy. Not everything is a Banfi. Best of all, even in 2010, the wines are a great value with most of my choices coming in under $50 and more than a few under $40 per. I rank, my picks, of Brunello ahead of most BDX and CDP for my palate. Put another way, as much as I love Barolo, I won’t ever buy Scavino again. Like in Piedmont it comes down to producer.
Lisini and Il Poggione can usually be found on sale for $30-$35 or so. I buy some when I see those prices. For example, cases of 2010 Il Poggione were recently offered by Flickinger for less than $30/bottle.
Otherwise, I only buy Biondi Santi. I just don’t see value in Brunello. Biondi Santi is different. They seemingly age forever (especially the Riserva). A mature Biondi-Santi Riserva bears no resemblance to most of the junk that is sold as Brunello. The only catch, aside from price, is very significant bottle variation.
I’m not naming names because some I have yet to acquire but if you like Il Poggione as I do too, there are several other equally great options at or near Il Poggione’s normal $45 price point. I paid $40 for mine. $30 for 2010 Il Poggione is the steal of vintage. Nice score.
Count me as a fan. Are they as complex as aged Burgundy or Barolo? Not in my experience, which admittedly is limited compared to this group. But I usually enjoy the wines and find them quite satisfying considering the cost of $40-$50. If I was going to spend $100 on a bottle, Brunello is not where I would be looking. At that point I would go to Bordeaux, Barolo or Burgundy. Brunello has a spot in my rotation.