2006 Tuscany now seems controversial...thoughts?

C_h_r_i_s_B_e_r_n_s_e_n · January 12, 2014, 1:32am

Decanter has said that the Chianti is overrated and there is that Kerin O’keefe claim about the over ripeness and hyper-acidity of the Brunellos. I’ve tried maybe 30 wines from these areas and am ambivalent. Any recent thoughts?

Markus_S · January 12, 2014, 2:47am

Decanter? I don’t think they’ve been very right about wine generalisations for a loooong time.
If they said this about 06, what is their opinion of 09?

Sanjay_Nandurkar · January 12, 2014, 2:54am

Chianti thinks Decanter is overrated

Oliver_McCrum · January 12, 2014, 4:28am

Very good.

Reminds me of graffiti I once saw:

‘God is dead.’ - Nietsche

‘Nietsche is dead.’ - God

Patrick_Friel · January 12, 2014, 5:34am

I’m pretty sensitive to over ripeness, sweetness, alcohol heat, etc. I picked up all those characteristics on many 2007 and 2009 Tuscans but not 2006’s.

In fact, I opened up a 2006 Felsina Fontalloro tonight. Gorgeous, balanced, cool bottle of sangio.

John_D_Zuccarino · January 12, 2014, 5:37am

Nice !!!

Decanter is corked … !!!

Z_Hu · January 12, 2014, 5:59am

I know Kerin used to write for Decanter but is now at Wine Enthusiast. Was she the one who said chianti is overrated too? I don’t think she cares for the ripe vintages.

RS_Beck · January 12, 2014, 7:54am

Haven’t cracked many '06’s yet. The few Chiantis I’ve tried were excellent, but very young and in need of further aging.

Mikael_W.F · January 12, 2014, 11:49am

interesting topic - I have also had some ups and down with 06 Tuscany both Chianti and Brunello and my thoughts are somewhat mixed - I feel like some wines have had a bit too much but on the other hand some have had great balance but all have been too young to really make a final statement - I think the vintages suffers a bit from the greatness of 04’s and the drinkability right now of the 05’s!

Bill_Klapp_deactivated · January 12, 2014, 2:54pm

Paul T. Entiren:

C h r i s B e r n s e n:

…there is that Kerin O’keefe claim about the over ripeness and hyper-acidity of the Brunellos

O’Keefe was critical of the the Consorzio’s rating system, but she was enthusiastic on many 06 Brunellos.

The Brunello Consorzio, during the event Benvenuto Brunello held in February, gives the vintage a rating based on a five star system.
It is clearly in the Consorzio’s interest to boost vintage classification, even if by doing so the ratings have lost some credibility. In addition, the rating is given a mere four months after the vintage, i.e. four years before the release (five for Riservas). O’Keefe is critical of the system, and while reporting all the ratings at the end of the Brunello book she added information where she disagrees with the official rating. Here is what she wrote in her book back in 2012, about the five star rating given for 2006. “Overrated. If some 2006s boast exceptional structure and balance, many more are unbalanced, with massive tannins, low acidity, and soaring alcohol, sometimes topping 15 and 15.5%. While tannins need time to tame, due to lack of acidity, many will not age well.” When she says overrated she clearly refers to the Consorzio 5 stars, meaning that a 4 star rating would have probably been more appropriate.
After the Brunello scandal she noticed an improvement for 2004 and 2005 Brunellos. But she was somewhat disappointed in the 2006 produced by some “back to the jammy, high alcohol and oak-driven wines they favored before the scandal hit”, even though she thought there were many excellent and potentially age-worthy wines. Throughout the text she made several very positive comments on 2006 brunellos.
Baricci: “The 2006 is fantastic, with layers of flavors and great length”
Salvioni: “The 2006 is beautifully perfumed, bold, and very structures and will be best after 2015”
Greppone Mazzi: “Many of my tasting notes of previous vintages point to a more commercial wine style, but the 2006 is gourgeous”
Altesino: “The 2006 is superb, with earthy, floral, and leather aromas and rich, vibrant palate with spice and mineral energy. Big ripe tannins. Best 2015 to 2025”
Biondi Santi Rosso di Montalcino: “The 2006 is superb, with the flair, finesse, bright fruit, and minerality of fine Burgundy, an impressive effort for Rosso. Best through 2020”
L’Aietta: “The 2006 has an impressive structure and fantastic depth that will develop more complexity over the next ten years. Best 2016 to 2026”
Le Potazzine: “Their 2006 is exceptional, with heady aromas, mineral, and freshness. Best 2016 to 2026”
Il Marroneto: “The more structured 2006 needs time but will evolve for decades. Best 2018 to 2030”.

I bought Baricci, Le Potazzine, Il Marroneto 06 Brunello and tried all 3 of them at Christmas and just talking about them I start drooling…

Paul, out of curiosity, virtually all of your posts to date, possibly all, relate to Brunello and/or Kerin O’Keefe, and your posts, quite thorough and detailed, read almost like articles or book reviews. (I would not be heard to complain about THAT, of course!) Do you have a personal or professional connection to the region, the author, or both, or are you merely passionate about Brunello?

Gary_York · January 12, 2014, 3:46pm

Many great wines made in 2006. From basic Chianti all the way up to Brunello Riservas.

Tvrtko_C · January 12, 2014, 3:47pm

…or my favourite Italian quip from the late ‘80s: "Dio e’ morto, Nietzsche e’ morto, e anch’io non mi sento tanto bene"

Oliver_McCrum · January 12, 2014, 4:33pm

Anch’io. Un po’ di vino aiuta.

Bob_Hughes · January 12, 2014, 4:56pm

I thought Belfrage’s book was fine if you were a beginner just starting to look into Tuscany. I found it somewhat disappointing (and quite frankly haven’t picked it up in well over a year) because he didn’t really get into any depth in discussing producers - I have always been a big fan of Sheldon Wasserman’s original work on Italy, and I keep waiting/hoping that someone will try to succeed to that mantle.

Scott_Ercit · January 12, 2014, 4:59pm

Chris, some details would help. Where does Decanter say this?

Bill_Klapp_deactivated · January 12, 2014, 5:18pm

No, but I did read “Brunello to Zibibbo”. I will confess to the bias of favoring Piemontese wines over Tuscan, but I do like a little Brunello and Chianti in the mix…

John_M_Fodera · January 12, 2014, 6:08pm

2006 is and will be great. As for the 2009 Brunello, I’ll reserve my opinion after Benvenuto Brunello & the slew of press/ trade tastings coming over the next few months. I love the 2009s I’ve had, generally, from other areas.

Mattias_Hansen · January 12, 2014, 6:41pm

I think this topic very well demonstrate the difficulty of generalising about an area as large and diverse as Montalcino. If you look at 20 top producers in Montalcino and you look at the 06 and 07 vintages, some will have produced better 06 vs 07’s and for some it will be the other way around. Remenber there are atleast four different microclimates in Montalcino, and the terroir and climate is vastly different in the hilly and cooler north, than it is in the warmer southeast part of the appellation. This shines through in the final wine produced in each micro area. Also there is stylistic preference, where the 07 brunello are often more ripe than their 06 counterpart. So declaring one vintage as superior to the other is somewhat elusive of the point. Both are quality vintages imo. What i have experienced is, that many 07 drinks wonderfully already now, but i do think they also possess enough backbone to age graciously. The 06’s i believe often require more time and will hit their stride in 2016 and onwards. I have bought a bit more 07 than 06, as i have tasted a lot of 07 brunello which i really like. Antonio Galloni often says that in Montalcino choose producer first and vintage second, and i wholeheartedly agree with his point of view.

Leonard_Maran · January 12, 2014, 7:49pm

Felsina shines in 2006.

Jens_Bordasch · January 12, 2014, 8:48pm

Not a Chianti but as the topic says 2006 Tuscany I can tell you that I had a bottle of 2006 Masseto (drank it alone over the course of the evening, no decanting) and I would put it whinin my top ten (red) wines EVER…even above every Petrus I had so far.