2014 Vintage Brunello di Montalcino Wine Tasting

"Knockin’ out windows and learnin’ down doors,
Drinkin’ half-gallons and callin’ for more.
Drinkin’ wine m@@@@@@"
-- Yes, a song from the 40s had serious swears in it!

This is our annual Brunello event to showcase the newest releases from Italy's most famous wine region and the greatest expression of Sangiovese on the Earth.

These wines are by law released after 5 years and the new vintage 2014 is just starting to reach the US shores.  The Riservas are only made in excellent vintages and they are held back for 6 years before release and the 2013 vintage Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is just now hitting the shelves.

Brunello di Montalcino is one of the greatest wines of Italy and some would argue that it is one of the greatest wines on the planet.  This is one of the only places that produces compelling examples of the Sangiovese grape in 100% varietal form.

This will be our first comprehensive tasting with the newly released 2014 vintage wines.  This new release is being met with lukewarm reviews by the press and some producers decided not to make a 2014 vintage Brunello at all!  We will also have the outstanding 2013 vintage Riserva Brunello Di Montalcino at this tasting this is a great vintage and the 2013’s should be KILLER!

Although Brunello di Montalcino is one of the latest releases of all the world’s cellar worthy wines, in great vintage like 2013 these wines will need another 10+ years in your cellar before they reach their peak years of drinking.  That is why god made vintages like the newly released 2014, these wines are already showing nicely and you can drink them while you hold on to your 2013’s, 2012, 2010 vintages- in great vintages like these you need at least 10 years in the cellar after release.  

Join us as we experience the latest releases from one of our favorite wine regions and chef Toni Lampasone will be making a special meal to accompany the tasting wines, this is a sit down tasting and there are only 14 spaces available.  The fee for this event is $150 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

Brunello Di Montalcino New Release Wine Tasting at Wine Watch
Friday, May 10th
7:30pm

2017 Canalicchio Rosso di Montalcino
Price: $37.00          Sale $32.56

This was a challenging vintage but you would never know it as Canalicchio Di Sopra always over delivers.  All of the vineyards are classified in the Brunello region so in great vintages they make very little rosso and more Brunello.

2014 Canalicchio Brunello di Montalcino
Price: $99.75          Sale $87.78

(93 points) The 2014 Brunello di Montalcino definitely shows the more accessible and easy-drinking side of this celebrated Sangiovese-based appellation in southern Tuscany. The wine offers all the prerequisite Brunello characteristics of wild berry and tobacco with pressed violets and fresh potting soil. However, those characteristics are presented at a notch or two of decreased intensity. This is quality common to the great majority of Brunellos I tasted from the 2014 vintage. I recommend this wine to lovers of Brunello looking for a wine to drink within the next ten years. Some 15,037 bottles were made. Wine Advocate

2014 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino  
Price: $65.00          Sale $57.20

(92 Points) This wine opens to a thin and streamlined appearance. The 2014 Brunello di Montalcino mirrors the main characteristics of the vintage with a clean mouthfeel and bright berry aromas. The Brunellos from 2014 are better suited to near or medium-term drinking and that's definitely the case with this wine. I'd suggest a pairing with your favorite pasta dish topped with creamy cheese sauce. Sangiovese has the natural acidity to cut through any fatty foods. This expression from Altesino achieves more fruit ripeness in 2014 with aromas of plum, dark cherry and dried cassis.  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2014 Casanova Neri Brunello di Montalcino         
Price: $77.00          Sale $67.76

(92 Points) "This is the white label Brunello from Giacomo Neri and his son Giovanni. The 2014 Brunello di Montalcino is faithful to the vintage with a compact and streamlined style that suggests a near or medium-term drinking window. In general, I am hesitant to recommend this vintage for any significant cellar aging, and one reason is because these wines perform nicely straight out of the gate. The same goes for this relatively easy expression that is redolent of wild berry, rose hip, blue flower and moist potting soil. Because the Brunelli Tenuta Nuova and Cerretalto were not made in this vintage, this wine represents a blend of fruit from across the estate. This is the first time this has happened at Casanova di Neri." 1/19.   Monica Larner, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2013 Ciacci Piccolomini Brunello di Montlaicno Pianrosso      
Price: $88.25          Sale $77.66

(95 Points) Although this wine is not labeled as a riserva, it is released six years after the harvest as if it were one. The 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Pianrosso (with 20,000 bottles produced) opens to balanced fragrances that mix fruity elements with spice, crushed stone and smoke. This wine is linear and direct with firm tannic support at the back. Give it another few years to flesh out further with additional bottle aging.  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2013 Castello Romitorio Filo Di Seta Brunello di Montalcino
Price: $106.00        Sale $93.28

(94 points) Made with fruit from a slightly cooler site, the 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Filo di Seta takes a few minutes to open but is well worth the wait. Despite the tight and nervous character of Sangiovese, this wine is suddenly generous, opulent and exuberant all at once. It's like meeting a person for the first time who initially seems shy, but then who suddenly moves in for the big bear hug. Its disposition is as generous as it is genuine. The mouthfeel is textured, supple and warm.  -Wine Advocate

Podere le Ripi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2013
Price: $136.50        Sale $120.12

A deep ruby red with elegant orange shadows. In the nose it express itself as a symphony of aromas going from the intense smell of cherry, strawberry to the fresh balsamic note of herbs. An impressive, broad structure that reveals a great minerality and a slightly bitter aftertaste.

2013 Canalicchio Di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
Price: $179.00        Sale $157.52

(97 Points)"The 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a tremendous wine that delivers a deep sense of inner gravity and balance. That, in a nutshell, is the secret of the top-end wines made at the exciting Canalicchio di Sopra estate. The wines made here always exhibit carefully measured balance in the classic vintages (like 2013) and in the difficult years as well. That extreme balance is exactly why you taste the vintage variation with such distinction. This expression from 2013 is remarkably smooth and silky with a steady succession of traditional Sangiovese aromas that span from wild berry, forest floor, wet earth, pressed flower and hints of tangy licorice or aniseed. This is a mid-weight Brunello that glides over the palate with precise, delicate and long lasting waves of intensity. Some 3,185 bottles, 174 magnums and 30 double magnums were made." 1/19 Wine Advocate, Monica Larner

2013 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
Price: $283.00        Sale $249.04

(96 Points) "Showing ripe and balanced fruit, the Valdicava 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del Piano (with 15,666 bottles produced) offers many very positive attributes. The wine flaunts a slightly contemporary or international side, and it does so with extreme confidence and elegance. Much of that natural balance comes directly from the classic vintage that exhibits both the structure and acidity necessary for prolonged cellar aging. Now, in the wine's youngest phase, it offers lush primary cherry and blackberry flavors followed carefully by measured spice, toast and red rose potpourri." 1/19.  Monica Larner, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:

Menu

Selection of cheese and Charcuterie

Beet and Goat Cheese salad with Balsamic drizzle and Pistachio Dust

Brunello Braised Beef Short rib and Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Pecorino cheese and natural Sauce

Candied Orange Biscotti with Grappa whipped creme and drizzle truffle honey

This is a seated tasting and is limited to 14 tasters and the fee for this event is $150 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com