'08/'09/'10 Stella di Campalto/2011 Pian dell'Orino Brunello offering

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Buongiorno dalla squadra fatta dall’amicizia,
Life is good for Montalcino’s Stella di Campalto and Pian dell’Orino’s Jan Hendrik Erbach and Caroline Pobitzer. In less than a decade, they have risen to the qualitative pinnacle of artisanal excellence, each distinct house style created with the same reverent biodynamic farming as a shared base. This is how and why they formed the SPA association, Sangiovese Per Amico, independent of the $$ politics of the Brunello Consorzio, to follow their own shared vision and values. With the superlative laden 2010 vintage, both producers were once again chosen as the finest Brunello wines of the year by Antonio Galloni of Vinous, pressing their superstar cult like status even higher in consumer consciousness. True to form, each house routinely rings people’s bell, no matter the vintage, as the power-meets-complexity-and-finesse of Pian dell’Orino and the swoon worthy delicacy and sensual charm of Stella’s wines form instantaneous fans when bottles are shared. I don’t know of anyone who has tasted the fruits of either house and comes away unmoved…
I’ve decided to group these two producers together in one mega offer, so fasten your seat belts guys…

IL MENU:

Pian dell’Orino: Jan is dialed in, his recipe for success impeccable: meticulous attention to detail to every aspect with no exceptions, and a take-no-prisoners biodynamic farming regimen. If I had to hire a landscape architecht/gardener to run my property, Jan would maybe be the first guy I would ask…On the menu for this year’s offering are a few particularly juicy bits:

  • For the first time, I am including their entry level Sangiovese, called Piandorino; this is a value hound’s delight, offering a glimpse of the work ethic and house style at an everyday tariff. Trust your grower is always a good mantra…

-Their 2013 Rosso di Montalcino has been (surprise surprise) awarded with the highest score of the vintage by Galloni. It is a treble toned knockout that is better than most prodcuers Brunello wines. Get some. Enough said.

-The 2011 Brunello di Montalcino is a wine that I have been patiently awaiting since tasting all of the components in cask two years ago. The purity, suavity, and sensuality of the various elements blended to make this wine blew my mind then, so I can only imagine what the finished wine offers. Note that no Riserva level bottles were made in 2011, so it contains ALL of their best. I would reckon that, for the money (here priced up super sharp, the best price you will see ever see stateside), this has to be one of the best buys in special occasion luxury wines on the planet as it is a serious chock-full-o’-goodness bottle of wine in every vintage…the sense of power-without-weight that I tasted in cask still haunts me today. TRUST YOUR GROWER.

-Of the in stock goodies, there remains a smidge of their “superlative” 2010 Brunello, as well as some Mags of the 2009. Don’t overlook the gift in hand, as always…

2014 Piandorino IGT $
“The 2013 Piandorino, the estate’s entry-level Sangiovese, is fabulous. Bright, punchy and forward, with plenty of Pian dell’Orino’s signature finesse, the 2013 is absolutely delicious today. It should drink nicely for another few years at a minimum.” 89 points Antonio Galloni for the 2013, NOT THE 2013 OFFERED HERE

2013 Rosso di Montalcino $ 180 bottles available
“Pian dell’Orino takes Rosso di Montalcino to another level with their sublime 2013. Bright, focused and wonderfully articulated, the Rosso literally bristles with energy. Sweet red cherry, raspberry, rose petals and blood orange are all beautifully delineated in the glass. What a striking, gorgeous wine this is.” 93 points Antonio Galloni

2011 Brunello di Montalcino Vigneti del Versante $ 96 bottles available
“The 2011 Brunello di Montalcino Vigneti del Versante offers lovely density and richness, but it also comes across as a bit monolithic and not totally put together just yet, an impression that is reinforced by a slight hint of reduction in the bouquet. With time in the glass, the sweet red cherry and plum fruit begins to emerge. Tobacco, rose petal and orange peel add the closing shades of nuance. Readers should plan on giving the 2011 at least a few years in bottle, which should allow the wine to settle down a bit. In 2011, all of the fruit went into this single Brunello.” 93+ Antonio Galloni

Stella di Campalto: Stella’s wines continue to garner heart palpitating fans as there is a sensual delicacy to the wines that is simply sublime. Her bottles are increasingly hard to find, with the allocations correspondingly tighter, and the prices understandably rising. I’ve kept it steady all the while, consistently the broadest and fairest priced source for her wines stateside. This year’s offer has many juicy bits, including:

-Her 2012 Rosso is gorgeous. I only wish I got more! Don’t overlook the rare as hen’s teeth magnums here, y’all!! (2011 Mags in stock!)

-The 2010 Brunello has been one of the most frequently inquired about wines of the year, as fans of her work seem to be frothing at the mouth for this one. Please note again the limited quantities available, with far more availability in Magnum (YES!!!) than in 750ml. I can feel the tidal wave of interest turning into a tweezer filled allocations headache real fast here…PREFERENCE WILL BE GIVEN TO BALANCED ORDERS THAT INCLUDE '08/'09 BRUNELLO AS WELL.

-With such small quantities of the 2010 Brunello available, Stella has allowed me to dip into the lingering reserves of '08 and '09 Brunello, two gorgeous vintages in their own right. The 2008 has been a darling of mine since its release, bringing to mind beguilingly weightless Burgundian beauty and then some; it is without question my favorite vintage that she has yet produced. The 2009 blew me away for its light touch and delicacy, something I was NOT expecting from a year that was so warm. It absolutely transcends the vintage as i’m certain that if I poured the wine for you and asked you to guess what year, NO ONE would guess 2009. Anyone I know who has tried it has been floored by just this sense of pale red fruited prettiness that doesn’t quit. The proof is in the pudding…If I were a collector/fan of her wines, I would not let this opportunity to go vertical pass me by, as her wines are on a sure and steady track to impossible-to-find cult superstardom. Enough said…

2012 Rosso di Montalcino $ in 750ml 36 bottles available, $ in Magnum 24 bottles available
“The 2012 Rosso di Montalcino is wonderfully direct and super-polished, both of which make it nearly impossible to resist, even at this early stage. Bright, bold and punchy, the 2012 offers lovely brightness to contrast its racy, red-toned fruit. Often, the Rosso here is a bit ethereal. The 2012 is one of the racier Rossos in recent memory. Rose petal, mint and sweet raspberry notes linger on the super-polished, aromatic finish.” 92 points Antonio Galloni

2008 Brunello di Montalcino $ in 750ml, $ in Magnum
“One day, I would like to put Stella di Campalto’s 2008 Brunello di Montalcino in a blind tasting with a handful of top-notch Burgundies and see how many people can pick this wine out. Sweet crushed flowers, savory herbs and cherries all waft from the glass. There is an ethereal, lifted, intensely perfumed quality to the 2008 that reminds me of Louis-Michel Liger-Belair’s wines. The 2008 isn’t a blockbuster, but it is very pretty.” 93+ points Antonio Galloni

2009 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva $ in 750ml, $ in Magnum
“The 2009 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is quite open-knit, radiant and accessible. Raspberry jam, white pepper, flowers, mint and sweet spices hove on the palate in a decidedly mid-weight Brunello that emphasizes grace and agility. The persistent, textured finish is striking. It will be interesting to see if the 2009 puts on weight in bottle, or if it remains the slightly fragile, fleeting wine it is today. Stella di Campalto’s wines never lack intrigue, that is for sure.” 92 points Antonio Galloni

2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva $ in 750ml 36 bottles available, $ in Magnum 36 bottles available!
“The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is exceptionally beautiful, as it has always been. Sweet red cherry, sweet tobacco, dried flowers, plum, spice and mint are all pushed forward in an unusually deep, assertive Brunello from Campalto. The 2010 Riserva demands attention, and gets it. There is tremendous depth in the glass, yet the wine has also shut down considerably since I last tasted it about four months ago. With air, the 2010 begins to open up a bit, but it really needs to be left alone for at least another few years.” 97 points Antonio Galloni

IN STOCK:

Stella di Campalto :
2011 Rosso di Montalcino $89 in Magnum, 10 bottles available
“The 2011 Rosso di Montalcino is a very pretty, eccentric wine. Rose petal, mint, sweet red berries, hard candy and cinnamon emerge from a mid-weight, gracious Rosso built on super-expressive, high-toned aromatics and silky fruit. Today, the 2011 comes across as a Rosso to drink over the near term, but then again, these wines have a way of putting on weight in bottle. The 2011 spent 22 months in cask.” 91 points Antonio Galloni

Pian dell’Orino:
2009 Brunello di Montalcino $69! in 750ml 18 bottles available $149 in Magnum! 7 bottles available
Good bright medium red. Captivating aromas of red cherry, violet, licorice and tobacco are complicated by a note of gunflint. Lush and sweet but with outstanding definition and lift to the flavors of raspberry, red cherry jelly, minerals and mocha. The juicy, long finish features smooth, sweet tannins that expand with air and repeating notes of red cherry and flint. A fleshier than usual style of Brunello for owners Jan Erbach and Caroline Pobizer, but this creamy, ripe wine is once again one of the handful of top wines of the Denominazione. In fact, Erbach told me he much prefers this wine to the wonderful '08 he made last year." 93 points Antonio Galloni

2010 Brunello di Montalcino Vigneti del Versante $99 in 750ml 24 bottles in stock
“The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Vigneti del Versante is rich, powerful and explosive, with fabulous depth, heady aromatics and stunning balance. Sweet red cherry, pomegranate, rose petals, mint, white pepper and a hint of orange peel are some of the many notes that inform this gracious, utterly captivating Brunello. The high-toned aromatics and punchy fruit give the 2010 much of its sizzling energy. Delicate, powerful and finessed all at the same time, the Vigneti del Versante is one of the wines of the year.” 97+ points Antonio Galloni

ECCOLI!!!

It is a joy to continue to represent both houses, all of us united by a shared vision of respect and love. Whether you already know why there is such a buzz over these guys or not, you simply can’t go wrong here…
Pre-arrival Stella requests will be taken during a one week presell period, after which I will tweeze out allocations. Prices will then rise 10-15% on any remaining items. Pre-arrival Pian dell’Orino prices will remain the same pre and post presell. In stock wines are offered first come, first served. Upon confirmation, payment due in full via check/Friends and Family Paypal/CC+%. Pre-arrival wines are slated for release from the estates in late Sept/early Oct, with a late October/early November '16 arrival date.
As always, with any questions or interests: rob@downtoearthwines.net
CHEERS TO JAN, CAROLINE, STELLA, AND MICHELA!!! TO THE BEAUTY OF THE MANY FACES OF MONTALCINO!!!
Robert