Tonight, the last bottle of 1999 Livio Sassetti Brunello di Montalcino. Gorgeous, old school Sangiovese color…when it’s clear and pretty you see why they called it the blood of Jupiter. Deep, intense nose of tart cherries, leather, spice, earth/mineral and light floral and herbal accents. Delicious on the palate, with the texture and complexity you only get from bottle age (not a blender!), supple and mouth-coating, showing dried cherries, leather, anise, gravel, spice and light mint notes. A very long, earthy, anise finish that lasts until next Tuesday just complements the experience. You could age this a bit more if you wanted to get rid of the very fine finishing tannins, but we were looking for something to pair with a grilled bone-in ribeye, and this was standing up…it fit the bill perfectly with food. I wondered if the d’Angerville we had a couple of weeks ago might be the best wine we would have all year, and while a totally different wine, this was about equal in quality. Just beautiful example of what Brunello can be if it’s not screwed up with new wood, Cab/Merlot, and the like. Approx…94-95.
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Great tasting note!
Here you go!!!
Good one, Jim. Don’t think I’ve tried that one?