I’m trying to navigate among the different producers styles of Brunello di Montalcino. Sometimes I’m in the mood for a heavier/dark fruited brunello, and sometimes I’m in the mood for a lighter, brighter, fresher and more transparent brunello, which in my experience is a style fewer producers go for.
The vintage of course play a major part in the outcome, but have you found any producers that consistently are more light, bright fruited and transparent in style? Below are the few producers that I’ve tried in this style.
Producers of brighter-style Brunello
Poggio di Sotto
Case Basse di Gianfranco Soldera (now Toscana IGT)
I’m not really following you. Poggio di Sotto and Soldera are dank, dark, and concentrated in my experience. Maybe some newer vintages of Poggio di Sotto might be closer to what you’re talking about, but I’m still not fully understanding your post.
I haven’t had these in many years so my memory might be failing me, but I remember especially Poggio Di Sotto BdM Riserva as being very bright fruited with cranberry and tart cherry dominating on the fruit side and being bright red in color (drunk pretty young).
Nonetheless that is the style that I’m looking for.
There are definitely some bright and transparent Brunellos, but why go there, when Chianti Classicos offer wonderful brightness, purity and transparency - and at a more reasonable cost?
Biondi-Santi’s BdM is definitely a textbook example of a very traditional, restrained and red-fruited Brunello, but also quite precious in price.
I respectfully dissent from the Chianti as a substitute for Brunello comment which is often made on here. I like both types of wine (though Brunello more in general), but I just don’t find the wines to be that similar to each other or substitutes for each other, despite (mostly) the same grape and being in the same larger region.
Maybe someone will blind me someday on Chianti and Brunello and I’ll end up being full of **** - it wouldn’t be the first time.
^agreed! I think if one focuses on the more traditional producers in the northern zones of Montalcino that they’ll have a lot of success finding red-fruited brunellos. I know I’m making a slight bit of a sweeping statement, but it’s kinda born out that way for me