2019 Vintage Brunello di Montalcino Wine Tasting

"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 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 2019 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 2018 vintage Brunello di Montalcino Riserva are just now hitting the shelves but unlike the 2017 and 2018 vintages the 2019 vintage was excellent and there were not a lot of producers that made 2018 riserva as it was a challenging vintage.

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 2019 vintage wines.  This new release is being met with stellar reviews by the press and we are buying everything that comes in from this highly anticipated vintage. 

Although Brunello di Montalcino is one of the latest releases of all the world’s cellar worthy wines, in great vintage like 2019 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 2018, these wines are already showing nicely, and you can drink them while you hold on to your 2019, 2016, 2015, and 2013 vintages- in great vintages like these you need at least 10 years in the cellar after 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 $250 + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

2019 Brunello di Montalcino
Another Outstanding Vintage in Tuscany!
Saturday, April 20th
7:30pm

2019 Castello Romitorio Brunello di Montalcino
Price: $80.25         Your Price: $70.62
Red berry and plum fruit with dried flowers, sweet herbs and a note of exotic spices on the nose nice complexity.  A good amount of fruit on the tongue wtih nice freshness and balance a stylish wine with tannins on the finish but is drinking beautifully already.  It seems that because of the balance and freshness along with the intensity of fruit this vintage will also age gracefully.  finish 50+  Most Excellent

2019 Castello Romitorio Filo di Seta Brunello di Montalcino
Price: $182.25       Your Price: $160.38
Filo di Seta Brunello di Montalcino expresses the bold yet elegant character of the wilder and darker essence of the area’s cooler north-westerly microclimate. The vines of Sangiovese sit at an altitude of approximately 350 meters, and are carefully cared for to ensure that each plant produces harmonious, balanced yields that allow the grapes to reach optimal ripeness.

Hand sorting takes place in the winery before and after destemming. Fermentation is in temperature-controlled cement tanks with 20 days of maceration on the skins, and natural malolactic fermentation lasts for about 10 days before the wine is rested to separate the lees. The wine matures in oak for approximately 30 months, and after bottling the wine is aged in Castello Romitorio’s temperature-controlled cellars until release.

A deep and intense bouquet of dark cherry with hints of violet, sage and dark spices along with some forest floor highlights.  Wonderful richness on the palate with ripe round tannins, a firm hand of acidity holding things firmly in place on the finish, very long and complex.  Finish 50+  Most Excellent +

2019 Casanova Di Neri Brunello di Montalcino
Price: $87.00                   Sale $76.56
(95 Points) The Casanova di Neri 2019 Brunello di Montalcino shows thick fruit fabric with stitchings of underbrush pressed rose bright cherry tobacco and balanced oak spice. This wine definitely has a special groove. It offers a ripe round texture with good acidity followed by fine chalky tannins. This is impressive quality for 109600 bottles produced. In fact this is one of the best village Brunellos from Giacomo Neri and his family made so far.  Wine Advocate

2019 Casanova Di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova
Price: $165.00                 Sale $142.50
(97 points)  “In my mind, this is the wine that best represents the Casanova di Neri house style. With 30 months of aging in tonneaux, it shows enormous richness and texture, and the stellar fruit quality appears with more primary elegance compared to the more expensive Cerretalto that is released with an extra year of aging. That dynamic is especially pronounced in a comparison of the 2019 and 2018 vintages. The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova has a dark vein of toasted spice, black fruit, ink, blackberry compote, licorice and star anise. Dark as night, it is exceptionally well crafted with a robust delivery of concentrated fruit and solid tannic structure. You can count on excellent cellar potential, or at a minimum, serve it with a classic steak. Production is exactly 69,696 bottles. Drink Date: 2026 - 2050” Robert Parker's Wine Advocate – Monica Larner   Review date: December 2023

2019 IL PALAZZONE BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO DOCG TUSCANY
Price: $90.00                   Your Price: $79.20
2019 was a 5-star vintage for the Consorzio del Brunello. Solid garnet color. The nose opens with aromas of cherries and plum with nice floral and forest notes, followed by meaty hints of sweet spices. Lip-smacking and juicy on the palate, with notes of tangerine peel, red plums and strawberries, along with very elegant tannins and a good vertical structure, savoury and tasty at the back. A very long orange and chocolate finish.

2019 Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino La Casaccia
Price: $219.00                 Sale $192.72
(100 Points) The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna La Casaccia is impossible to ignore; it is earthy and mineral, almost smoky and animal in nature. Ashen stones, violets and balsam herbs complicate depths of dried black cherries, sage and clove. This is deeply textural and seductive, balancing ripe red and black fruits with sweet spice and minty herbal tones that create a kaleidoscope of sensation on the palate. A salty flourish shines through the finale, along with a crunchy tinge of blackberry seeds to contrast, as fine-grained tannins wrap the senses with youthful poise and a bitter twang resonates. The 2019 may be immortal. La Casaccia is a showstopper.

2019 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino
Price: $225.00                 Sale $198.00
(95 Points) Just a baby today, the 2019 Brunello di Montalcino is darkly alluring with a youthfully coy bouquet that requires coaxing as dusty earth and dried flowers slowly take on hints of incense and black cherries. It flows easily across the palate, silky and refined with building tension as brisk acidity and minerals mingle with edgy tannins toward the close. The 2019 finishes dramatically long and structured with a pleasantly bitter tinge. A resonance of salted licorice and cedar lingers on and on. Valdicava has captured the radiance of the vintage.  Vinous

2018 IL PALAZZONE BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO RISERVA DOCG TUSCANY
Price: $150.00                 Your Price: $132.00
The colour is beautiful, clear, bright garnet-red. The 2018 Riserva has a complex nose; an initial fine floral entry and, with time in the glass, a slow-motion aroma explosion, passing from wild berries to notes of undergrowth, hints of rhubarb and cigar. Subtle on the palate, it progressively builds up owing to the fine-grained tannins backed by supporting acidity. Intense, lip-smacking and elegant on the palate. A note of blood orange on the finish. An extraordinary Brunello!

2018 Biondi Santi Brunello di Montalcino
Price: $315.00       Your Price: $277.20
(96 Points) "The 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino will be released on March 1, 2024. The color is medium red/garnet, and the nose opens to fresh aromas of orange citrus peel, dusty earth, cranberry, spices, and juniper. Medium-bodied and more linear, it lifts through the palate with fine tannins and a refreshing, mouthwatering finish. It has a great saline feel and is a savory and fresh wine. This is a Brunello I’d love to drink over the next 10 years for its accessibility and refined texture, although I imagine it will also have some real potential for cellaring. Drink 2024-2040." 02/24  Audrey Frick, www.jebdunnuck.com

Menu
Selection of Cheese and Charcuterie
Bruschetta Salad with Creamy Burrata
Fettuccini Bolognese with Shaved Parmesan
Bacon Fat Seared Iberico Pork Loin Chop over Creamy Polenta finished with Wild Mushroom Ragu
Panna Cotta with Blackberry and Candied Orange

The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $250 + 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 issues and Chef Toni will be happy to accommodate you.