(IL BORRO, ITALY, JAN. 6, 2011) I am finishing my blind tasting of 2006 Brunello di Montalcino today at home in Tuscany, and I am very excited about the vintage. The wines are subtle, yet rich, structured, and powerful. This vintage is the new benchmark for the region — a modern 1997.
When you first taste these reds, you think that they are balanced and approachable with beautiful perfumes of cherries and flowers, along with refined palates of ripe tannins and rich fruit. If you give them a little air (I started flash-decanting each bottle before tasting), they start to show their muscular structure of powerful tannins and fresh acidity. These are wines that need a minimum of three to four years of bottle age before opening, but they will improve with age for decades to come.
On Monday, I left a number of my top wines opened overnight in the Montalcino tasting room of the producers’ association, Il Consorzio del Brunello di Montalcino, and I was amazed the next morning to find that the wines were even bigger and more powerful. Already, I have to wonder how the 2006 Brunello di Montalcino riservas are going to be next year. Many should be of incredible quality.
I have spoken to a number of the top Brunello producers in Montalcino, and they deem the 2006 their best ever. “It has to be our best vintage ever, if you compare the way we work in the vineyards and the cellars to 1997 or vintages before,” said Giancarlo Pacenti of the winery Sirio Pacenti.
It’s true. The progress and improvement in viticulture and in winemaking in the last decade has been impressive in Montalcino. This must be why I found so many small or new producers making outstanding Brunellos in 2006. Close to 200 names now bottle their own Brunello compared to a few dozen about 20 years ago — what a change.
In the final analysis, I am not sure that 2006 made many better top Brunellos than 2004, 2001, 1999, or 1997. But I am sure that the sheer number of outstanding and classic quality Brunellos is much higher in 2006. This makes it a better vintage than all the best years in Montalcino so far.
We will see whether the 2007 in bottle is finally at the same level, or even better, but I have my doubts from barrel tastings. The growing season for 2006 was much more consistent with hot days and cool nights; in 2007, there were more heat spikes. This more stable weather as the grapes ripen is perfect for Sangiovese — the grape used in Brunello.
“Both years are great,” said Giacomo Neri of Casanova di Neri, always one of the top producers of Brunello every vintage. “We are lucky to have two back-to-back great years…the 2006 is a vintage for aging; it has such great balance and structure. The wines forever change in the glass. They seem to gain in body and structure in the glass when you taste them.”
In fact, I found the same thing when tasting these 2006 Brunellos. They change all the time in the glass, from being very aromatic and clean and almost timid, to full, rich and tannic. They are fascinating to taste. They are some of the most interesting young Brunellos I have ever tasted since I first started going to Montalcino in 1983.
However, I still have about 40 Brunellos to taste at home today. So let me go taste, and I will get back to you.
Firstly, Happy New Year ! Well you have whetted my interest,looking forward to your in depth report;nearly as much to my own tasting on the 21st Feb.in Montalcino.By the way my number one tasting in 2010 was Miani Buri Merlot 2006 still needing a few more years in bottle but what a wine! Have you tried any wines from Miani?
and had loads more structure than the 07's and even 04's. Another question is how does this vintage really stack up, when compared to wines of the last 20 years in Tuscany?
I mean it seems as if everyone is saying we have a vintage of the decade every 2 years. which vintage is really that vintage?
93's were supposed to be lean and above average, but due to higher acid the still are rocking from great producers. 95's are still holding barely. Lets just say 97's should be compared to what happened with cali's 97's and have little life left. 99's are phenomenal now. than you get to 2001 and 04.
I hope now that we have a great taster, outside of the marketing regime of wine publications, we can get some truly honest answers and stop having vintage of the centuries every year. unless thats really whats going on.
I always liked the 1993s. I just had a Valdicava Madonna del Piano 1993 and it was beautiful and fresh still. The 1995s are more forward. I think you are wrong on 1997. I have had three this week and they are beautiful. I love the vintage for Brunello. But 2006 is the new benchmark in that style. The 2004 may have been more like 1999, which was a little over extracted but beautiful. And 2001 are still fresh and flashy.
What’s wrong with so many excellent vintages of Brunello? We win.
My issue with 97's is that that were really big and extracted. I think Brunello was not sure of what style to make ( modern, or traditional) and a lot of people over oaked. 97's right now are screaming drink now. I just don't think they will last. Little acid, to much sugar in my mind leads to oxidized wine.
As far as the many great vintages of Brunello, of course I am happy. I was just commenting on the fact that everyone keeps saying its the vintage of the decade every other vintage. As much as I love the Marketing regime, It just gets daunting when trying to figure out how much to buy and from whom when the next best thing is always around the corner or even right in front of you.
I look forward to seeing who topped this year for Brunello.
it is perfekt that you startet with you new Homepage and also super is your first Tasting with the Brunello 2006! Great....
Pino Sassano