The 2017 vintage reviews were more or less what I expected, but I was a little surprised by the scores for the 2016 riservas. Only 1 wine received a 99 or above (the well deserving di Sotto riserva). I would have thought there would have been a handful of 100s in the riserva ranks from such a well regarded vintage. I don’t always agree with Larner’s reviews (2016 Soldera a 94?), but she is definitely on to something when she says that the high alcohol, high extract riserva style that may have been popular in 2016 is out of vogue in 2022. One of the few drawbacks to spending so much time before release.
Sometimes the riservas are a tad too heavy on the oak given the extra year in barrel. So it very hit or miss among the producers. The Altesino riservas are always one of the best of the bunch.
I am surprised any wine received over a 95. It’s a very uneven vintage with more misses than hits. I’ll know more tomorrow after the Consorzio tasting!
Clarifying-2016 was a fantastic vintage but I agree the Riservas can be a bit harder to judge, and I honestly think a ‘100pt wine’ is a mythical creature. As a friend says, ‘there are no great wines only great bottles.’
I agree that her introductory report was quite interesting, particularly the bit about shifting to higher elevations to deal with a warmer climate in the hopes/expectation that in the near future the BdM regulators will permit grapes from the newer, higher vineyards to be included in Brunellos.
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So you are saying 2016 was a fantastic vintage (agreed), but the riservas themselves had more misses than hits? 2017 was a very uneven vintage.
And I’m not saying a 100pt WA-rated wine is “perfect.” WA hands out plenty of 100 point ratings every year, so a 100pt wine is by no means a mythical creature. It seems like half of the left bank first growths get a 100 in a good year. We aren’t talking about a Burghound 100 (something truly mythical).
Very interested to hear your thoughts after the Consorzio tasting!
I’ve always though Altesino is under appreciated. Great cost/value IMO. I have actually never tried their riserva but love their single-vineyard Montosoli and standard brunello.
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Sounds like you had a chance to taste the di Sotto. Have you tasted other 2016 Riservas? Any that you would say are outstanding (and in the same class as di Sotto)?
It seems like more Brunello producers are marketing special selection or single vineyard wines under normale rules. Makes sense to me, especially if the market will reward them with pricing close to what they currently receive for their Riserva. When is the additional year of oak a significant advantage (or is it dwarfed by the impact of better grapes)?
(I probably wouldn’t ask the same question about Piedmont or Rioja. Would you?)
Regards,
Peter
Her work and insights are usually quite great. Her reports are for sure a great source of knowledge and full of strong and well explained (like in this case) opinions on Italian wines. In my view, she also understand more than most critics out there, that it’s not just about describing the growing season and wine but talk about and take a stand regarding the factors/themes that are most important to the consumers at the moment (like in this report where she extensively talks about the high alcohol levels).
I actually haven’t tried any of the 2016 riservas yet. I just happen to love di Sotto’s 2016 annata and would imagine the riserva would also be great. I am a huge fan of the 2016 vintage though. I definitely think the riservas potential lies in the quality of the grapes and not the extra year in oak (which may actually hurt in some cases). I think this is why Biondi Santi’s riserva always does so well; very very old vines and little impact from an extra year in botti.
I only said I don’t ALWAYS agree haha. I agree 90% of the time. She is one of my favorite italian-focused critics. Loved her focus on moving to higher, cooler elevations, which I agree is the future for Montalcino (whether IGT or DOCG).
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Hot takes—
La Poderina is awful. Both 2017 Normale and 2016 Riserva are lean and vegetal/stemmy.
Poggio di Sotto is way overpriced and a shadow of its former self. 2017 Normale and 2016 Riserva would be ok at best for a $50-75 price point.
Altesino and Il Poggione are solid.
Thread drift: Drank a bottle of PdS Rosso 2006 on Friday/Saturday. Few brunellos will match this - stunning. Made by Palmucci/Gambelli. None of the later vintages are even close IMHO.
Might be true of other critics at WA, but idk if plenty is true when it comes to Larner. She has only given 7 brunelli 100 points. 4 2010s and 3 2016s and then only 5 others 99.
On the other hand with this batch she gave 36 of the 88 2016 Brunelli in this report 95 or better.
The problem with some riservas is more likely to be the age and size of the barrels and not the extra year in oak. Biondi-Santi is using 100 year old Slavonian oak casks the size of my bedroom. That kind of oak treatment could go on forever without wrecking the wine. It’s the brand-spankin’ new barriques that have ruined so many riservas over the last 30 years.
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Totally agree. Producers still using traditional slovenian botti can handle the extra year.
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I am encouraged and flattered by the engaged and smart conversation here, especially with regards to the issues surrounding Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, alcohol and aging.
Special thanks to Andy and M. Porter for the kinds words and thanks to all for reading my work (and the introduction to my article).
I wanted to make a few quick points:
- The 2017 vintage is not terrible. Vintners worked hard to achieve better balance by offsetting alcohol with freshness and lower extract, and there are a few excellent wines to discover.
- I encourage you to try the 2016 Soldera Sangiovese if you can locate a bottle. I gave it 94 points but some might find my score generous (or not generous enough) depending on individual taste thresholds. The aromas I describe as “iodine and medicinal gel” in my review are vaguely band-aid adjacent in my opinion.
- Yes, the 100-point Poggio di Sotto 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is crazy expensive. It’s a shame and I made a mention of price in my review. I would however happily splurge for a bottle of the 2018 Rosso di Montalcino any day.
- Finally, I think there is no doubt that the selezione/single-vineyard direction is far more interesting and promising to the future of Brunello than Riserva. Many vintners have come around to this thinking as seen by the many new single-vineyard bottles. If Riserva sometimes feels/tastes like a relic of the past (Biondi-Santi and a few others excluded), well, it shouldn’t be a surprise.
Thanks for reading.
Monica
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Thank you Ms. Larner for chiming in.
Agree re: the P d Sotto rdM; almost in a class by itself.
The single vineyard thing is leading to some Great wines, though prices are following. The real downside is all that good fruit being kept out of the basic (and cheaper) bottlings.
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Or, like in Barolo, a basic Brunello can be a blend of fruit from various sites across the appellation (a plus depending on vintage) and a nice compliment to a single-vineyard Brunello. That would be ideal.
I’ll admit to being a bit star struck! Thank you for a fantastic article. I really hope we see continued growth in the single-vineyard offerings. That has to be the future if Montalcino wants to keep stride with Piedmont. Really hoping Antinori eventually releases a single vineyard from the higher elevation sites you mentioned, although this will likely take a couple of decades. Pian delle Vigne, as it currently sits, usually underperforms the vintage IMO.
I was able to snag a single bottle of the 2016 Soldera. I’ll admit I have not opened it. Do you think it has the potential to lose the medicinal notes over time, or is this likely to persist through the drinking window? You tend to give Soldera good but not great reviews (I’m speaking relative to its price and cult status; a 94 is a great wine). I’ve tried several vintages over the years and have found all of them more or less incredible (2004 possibly the greatest brunello I’ve had). Do you think this is stylistic or do you find certain reoccurring flaws?
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We need the brunello equivalent of Produttori del Barbaresco
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