2017 Brunello di Montalcino Tuscan Wine Tasting Friday, May 6th 7:30pm and all the wines from Montalcino in the store on SALE!!!

"At least once a day you should do something purely for enjoyment, and wine is my way of relaxing." - Young Uck Kim, Wine Collector

We try to do things that are relaxing more than once a day here at the Wine Watch… but that's just us...

This is our annual Brunello di Montalcino new release event to showcase the latest and greatest vintage from Italy's most famous wine region and the greatest expression of Sangiovese on the Earth.  But the last two vintages have been so good we have had to host two events to cover more of the wines from the incredible 2016 and 2017 vintages.

Brunello di Montalcino by law can’t be released until after 5 years and the newest vintage 2017 because of the pandemic was delayed so some of the top wines from this outstanding vintage are just now starting to reach the US shores.  The Riservas are only made in excellent vintages, and they are held back for 6 years before release, so the 2016 vintage Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is the current release is also just now hitting the shelves.  These two back to back EXCELLENT vintages make this tasting even more exciting as you also get to taste some of the top Riserva’s from the 2016 vintage at this tasting!!

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.

Although Brunello di Montalcino is one of the latest releases of all the world’s cellar worthy wines, in great vintage like 2017 and 2016 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 2014 and why I have included all the older vintage wines from Montalcino that we have in the store on this offering….you can drink them while you hold on to your 2016, 2015, 2013, 2012, and 2010 vintages- in great vintages like these you need at least 10 years in the cellar after release.   Check out the Rosso di Montalcino at the end of this offering also, the “Baby Brunello” are a snapshot into the future to see the most current vintages in Montalcino as the Rosso are only held back for a year before release. 

Join us as you will be some of the first to taste the newest release of the world’s greatest Sangiovese on Earth and chef Toni Lampasone will be serving a special five course tasting menu to accompany the tasting wines.  The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $275 + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

2017 Brunello di Montalcino Tuscan Wine Tasting
Taste the Newest Release from
Another Outstanding Vintage in Tuscany!
Friday, May 6th
7:30pm

2017 UCCELLIERA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO TUSCANY
Price: $75.00      Your Price: $66.00
(94 Points) The Uccelliera 2017 Brunello di Montalcino does a great job showcasing that extra power and brawn of the vintage and the richer textural structure of the southern side of the appellation. The bouquet is up front and beautifully measured with lots of red and purple fruit definition followed by spice, tar and earthiness. What sets this wine apart in this hot and dry vintage is the mouthfeel. It delivers fiber, flesh and soft tannins. The alcohol is a bit much at 15% in this production of 28,666 bottles. Best after 2024.  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2017 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $113.50   Your Price: $99.88
(94 Points) "As you drive downhill from the hamlet of Montalcino on its north side, you pass the Canalicchio di Sopra winery, which is located in a shallow, sun-lit basin of vines. This estate is meticulous and studied in its winemaking philosophy, and the 2017 Brunello di Montalcino is an expression of that concentration. This warm-climate Brunello reveals awesome purity and intensity with wild cherry, almond and lilac spread over a tonic, mid-weight finish. This wine awards plenty of elegance in a vintage that was not easy and not prone to such nuance. Production is exactly 39,989 bottles." 02/22 Wine Advocate Notes Monica Larner, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2017 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO CASACCIA
Price: $215.00   Your Price: $189.20
(96 Points) This is a relatively new addition to the Canalicchio di Sopra portfolio, and even its modern graphic label design represents a break from the rest of the line, which has more nostalgic labels that feature Montalcino's medieval main square. The 2017 Brunello di Montalcino La Casaccia takes a little longer to open, but it ultimately reveals the elegance and energy that comes with the house style. Wild cherry, ash and balsam herb drive a long, very polished finish. The La Casaccia site is distinguished by mineral-rich clay soils, which give this wine its power and density  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2017 CASTELLO ROMITORIO BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO FILO DI SETA
Price: $145.00   Your Price: $127.60
This is one of the oldest plots in the vineyard and has a very distinct character to the bouquet red cherry and wild strawberry fruit with an array of exotic floral and spice notes here black truffle and light smoke on the nose, very complex.  Wow very forward and seductive on the palate as well gorgeous forward red berry fruit ripe round tannins and incredibly approachable, just loaded with earthy and spicy notes on the finish, very long and layered finish but quite drinkable right now.  Finish 50+  Most Excellent

2017 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino
Price: $82.25      Sale $72.38
(94+ Points) "The Casanova di Neri 2017 Brunello di Montalcino delivers unexpected grace and a floral profile that is not common to find in this scorching-hot and dry vintage. In faithful Casanova di Neri fashion, the wine is bold and dark in appearance, and although the bouquet is dominated by purple and black fruits, there is a brief interlude of fresh garden rose or lilac. That little moment changes up the momentum of this wine in a most positive way by allowing for a harmony of low tones and high tones that are well matched here. The wine is robust, structured and velvety to the palate, but ultimately this expression is far more delicate than I would have ever expected for a 2017 Brunello. This is a nice surprise." 02/22  Monica Larner, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2017 Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino
Price:    Sale $
(93 Points) Masses of ashen earth, smoke, dusty cherry and roses with nuances of clove lift up from the 2017 Brunello di Montalcino. This is silky and pliant upon entry, presenting a rich display of intense red and hints of black fruits laced with chalky minerals that drenches the palate. Penetrating acidity and grippy tannins create a burst of cheek-puckering tension, clenching down hard with youthful poise, as notes of licorice and hard red candies linger through the structured, medium-length finale. There are some moments where the 2017 reminds you that it comes from an incredibly hot and dry vintage, yet overall, it’s a huge success for the year. That said, it needs time to unwind from its youthful state. Production was down 15–20% at Il Poggione in 2017 due to severe selection of bunches, and all of the fruit that would have been reserved for the Riserva Vigna Paganelli was added to the Brunello instead." 12/21  Vinous Media

2017 LE POTAZZINE GORELLI BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $99.00      Your Price: $87.12
(95 Points) "The ladies of Le Potazzine make a terrific bottle of Brunello, and their high-elevation vineyards are especially important in maintaining freshness in a scorching-hot vintage such as this. The 2017 Brunello di Montalcino offers a pretty succession of wild berry, cherry and plum aromas, along with light spice, crushed flowers and perfumed potting soil. This wine is also distinguished by a touch of bay leaf and maybe a warmer note of cured tobacco as well. This is an impressive effort (with 16,000 bottles released)." 02/22  Wine Advocate Notes

2016 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA RISERVA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $254.00   Your Price: $223.52
(98 Points) Canalicchio di Sopra’s Riserva is typically crafted from the estate’s oldest plantings. In 2016, it combines two sites: Vigna Vecchia Mercatale in Canalicchio and the Filari Lunghi vineyard on the Montosoli hill. It is intensely balsamic in fragrance, flaunting mint and rosemary on a backdrop of dark, rain-soaked soil. Flint and tobacco notes hover in the background. The palate is pure and upright. Tight, linear tannins penetrate the compact core of black brooding berries. Then, the palate is suddenly refreshed by a tangy, stony minerality. This still needs time to meld, but all the elements are there for a long life. Drinking Window 2025 - 2042. Decanter

2016 CASTELLO ROMITORIO BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO RISERVA
Price: $300.00   Your Price: $264.00
Pretty bouquet of dried flwoers red berry fruit and a light smoky note with highlights of dried porcini and balck spices.  Lots of volume here on the tongue with a host of wild strawberry and cherry fruit with a firm hand of tannins and acidity holding things together and in perfect balance, echoing the exotic spice and earthy nuance from the nose through the finish, very long and layered.  Finish 50+  Most Excellent +

2016 CASTELLO ROMITORIO BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO FILO DI SETA RISERVA
Price: $599.00   Your Price: $527.12
Only 3940 bottles of the first bottling of the Riserva Filo di Seta and this wine has a similar nose to the 2016 Brunello non Riserva but has a bit more concentration and depth dark cherry and wild strawberry fruit with an exotic array of spices and dried flowers along with that smoky character, very complex bouquet of aromas.  Wow, an explosion of flavors on the tongue lots of juicy berry fruit with firm tannins and acidity this wine will need a few years in the bottle but has all the right stuff and in proportion, long layered finish.  Finish 55+ KILLER

Menu
Selection of cheese and Charcuterie
Tuna Tartar with grilled wild mushrooms, Sage Aioli and Parmesan Reggiano Crisps
Bacon Tagliatelle Carbonara
Rare Seared Dry Aged Ribeye with Grilled Broccolini
Tiramisu

The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $275 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.  Please let us know when you make your reservations if you have any food allergies or issues with steak.

A bit about the 2017 vintage from Montalcino from Decanter Magazine:

Brunello di Montalcino 2017 vintage report by: Michaela Morris : January 24, 2022
Producers had to make some difficult decisions for their Brunello di Montalcino 2017 wines but the results speak for themselves, as 'numerous wines demonstrate greater freshness than anticipated,' according to Michaela Morris who recently tasted and rated 80 samples.

Brunello di Montalcino 2017: 3.5
Extreme heat and drought conditions made even ripening a challenge. Overall, freshness is preserved, although dry tannins do poke through. Most wines will show their best over the next five to eight years.

When I visited Montalcino in late August of 2017, the heat was stifling and the landscape parched.

Banfi’s sizeable artificial lake used for emergency irrigation was almost depleted. Harvest was already underway for Merlot and there were whispers that some estates had started picking Sangiovese as well.

One winemaker described the fermenting vats as jam.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the best Brunello di Montalcino 2017 wines
2017: The ‘desert’ vintage
‘From June until the end of August, there were almost 20 days above 35°C,’ says Francesco Ripaccioli at Canalicchio di Sopra.

More than the torrid heat, however, it is drought that characterises the 2017 vintage. ‘It didn’t rain for three months,’ recalls Katia Nussbaum at San Polino. ‘It was like a desert.’ Moreover, the scarcity of water wasn’t just limited to the summer months – lower-than-average rainfall was recorded from the start of the year.

Though arid conditions and soaring temperatures meant that mildew wasn’t an issue in 2017, water stress certainly was. More than ever, it was crucial to keep enough leaves on the vines to shade the grapes.

Fabian Schwartz at La Magia avoided thinning bunches so as not to over-concentrate the berries, and Bernardino Sani identified several changes Tenuta di Argiano has made since 2013 such as soil revitalisation, organic viticulture and less dense plantings. ‘This helped a lot in reducing the impact of drought on the grapes.’ Still, the estate produced 30% less than average.

Francesca Bindocci pointed to ‘the intelligent use of emergency irrigation,’ as Il Poggione is fortunate enough to have a few artificial lakes on its property.

Producers let out a collective sigh of relief when it finally rained at the beginning of September. There was another downpour mid-month. Significantly, precipitation was accompanied by a drop in temperatures, particularly at night, which served to slow down ripening. ‘This allowed us to arrive at harvest with good ripeness of grapes, polyphenols and seeds,’ shares Sara Rossi at Padelletti.

Read More at:  https://www.decanter.com/premium/brunello-di-montalcino-2017-vintage-report-and-top-scoring-wines-473252/

It looks like another great vintage from Montalcino in the end but of course not at balanced as the 2016’s which we are very excited to taste the 2016 Riservas this year and we have potentially a very approachable early drinking vintage in the 2017’s but that is why we host this tasting every year to get a first look at the latest releases from Montalcino.