Centolani Group Brunello di Montalcino Tasting at Wine Watch with Special guest Andy Pelusa

“The worst gift I was given is when I got out of rehab that Christmas; a bottle of wine. It was delicious.” ― Craig Ferguson

This is a warm up for our big Symphony of the America's Wines of the World gala tasting and dinner.  This year we have several winery principles coming into town for the event and our good friend Olga Pelusa was scheduled to be here but was just in a car accident in Italy and will not be able to make the trip this year.

WE have had this tasting on the calendar for a few months now and have several people that wanted to come out and join Olga this evening but she has already sent the wines so I figured we should have a few glasses in honor of Olga getting better and a speedy recovery so the tasting is still on!!  I will present the wines as Andy Peluso.

The Centolani Group has three estates and they are one of the largest producers but also one of the top producers when it comes to quality.  Join us as Olga takes us on a guided tour of here estates and we taste through a vertial selection of each property; Tenuta Friggiali, Pietranera and Donna Olga.

Wine Watch Catering's Toni Lampasone will be making a few courses to accompany the tasting wines.   This is a formal sit down event and is limited to only 15 tasters, the fee for this tasting is $75 + tax.  For reservations call 954-523-9463

Agricola Centolani Vintage Brunello di Montalcino tasting at Wine Watch Wednesday, November 13, 2013 7:00 PM

Tasting Line-Up:

Tenuta Friggiali Brunello di Montalcino 1997 List Price: $120.00  Sale $102.96  Case $1224 Quantity in Stock: 10

(90 Points) A balanced and silky red, with cedar, berry and tobacco character throughout. Medium- to full-bodied, with well-integrated tannins and a refreshing finish. Drink now through 2008. 9,000 cases made. –JS  Wine Spectator Issue: Jun 30, 2002

Friggiali Brunello Di Montalcino 1999 List Price: $70.00  Sale $61.60  Case $719

(89 Points) Attractive berry and cinnamon character in this medium-bodied red. Silky tannins, with a lovely texture and a medium finish. Drink now through 2010. 6,665 cases made. –JS  Wine Spectator Issue: May 15, 2004

Friggiali Brunello Di Montalcino Tuscany 2001 List Price: $59.00  Sale $51.92  Case $602

This is a great vintage in Montalcino, the wines have a good amount of everything, Fruit, tannins and firm acidity holding things in place.  Although these wines are starting to drink nicely they will last another couple of decades in your cellar.

Donna Olga Brunello Di Montalcino 1997 Price $144.00  Sale $126.72  Case $1469

(94) “Superintense aromas of dried fruits, from prunes to orange peel, yet there's a cappuccino undertone to it. Full-bodied, with a solid core of thick, yet fresh fruit and chewy, yet silky tannins. This is a wine to age. A new winery from the makers of Centolani. Best after 2006. 250 cases made. (JS).”  The Wine Spectator Buying Guide  05/31/03

Pietranera Brunello Di Montalcino 1998 Price: $74.00  Sale $65.12  Case $755.00

This is a very good vintage and one that is drinking nicely right now, a lighter year the wines have always shown balance and the classic earthy character of Brunello di Montalcino.

Donna Olga Brunello Di Montalcino 2003 List Price: $73.25

Wine watch Review: Black cherry and exotic spices very complex and nuanced aromas fresh black truffle tar and a potpouree of floral notes. Excellent concentration and depth of flavor on the tongue with nice freshness and notes of tar and dried flowers on the finish. Finish 40 Excellent

Donna Olga Brunello di Montalcino 2004 List Price: $80.00 Sale Price: $49.00

This is the Centolani familys top wine and Donna Olga is all about quality. The vineyards are located 5 km away from the ancient walls surrounding Montalcino. The vineyards here are terraced, they slope down from a height of 400 to 270 meters above sea level. The grapes coming from the higher blocks present long lasting perfumes and a sizeable content of acidity that grants a long life to the wine; grapes from the lower blocks have a more marked concentration of tannins and polyphenols that give the wine a velvety and more full-bodied structure. This 2004 vintage Donna Olga wine is starting to come to maturity with a good amount of red cherry and wild plum old leather saddle porcini mushrooms and exotic spices and floral. Still a bit tightly wound at the moment but has all the right stuff just needs a bit more time to come together fully but can be enjoyed today and it also has all the right stuff to last another decade or more in your cellar. Finish 40 Most Excellent

Menu

Selection of Cheese:

Black Truffle Pappardelle Pasta with fresh shaved Parmesan and Fontodi Olive Oil Grass fed beef osso bucco served over wild mushroom, tuber, sage, tyme, margoram risotto Chocolate truffles and traditional Italian waffle cookies

A bit about the Producer:

The Friggiali winery was originally housed in an old stone cellar.  The structure also served as headquarters for the family while they adjusted themselves to the trials of vineyard ownership and their first vintage (1983).   It wasn't until the 1985 vintage that the name Tenuta Friggiali began to gain respect.  Still, the production was tiny; and most of the wine was sold either at the winery or distributed locally.  The tremendous local success spurred the Peluso-Centolanis to follow the advice of their oenologist, Mr. Vagaggini; and they undertook huge investments in renovating the estate, planting new vines, and building new winemaking facilities.   Mr. Vagaggini is a local winemaker very well renowned in the Brunello and Chianti regions.  He keeps a low profile and consults for many small wineries whose wines never leave the area; until recently he has been Friggiali's best-kept secret.  Although he has been provided with a more modern facility, Mr. Vagaggini has kept the winemaking process as traditional as possible.   He believes in the marriage of hands-on winemaking with the control provided by modern equipment.

Brunello di Montalcino is not only a myth in the history of the world's great wines, a legend of traditions abided by as if they were beloved rituals; but it is a live, enduring, reality witnessing commitment and research."  These are the words by which Olga Peluso-Centolani lives.  Tenuta Friggiali, begun by her and her father, is the dream of a family whose Naples ancestry can be traced back for generations; the Peluso-Centolanis have been some of that city's most honored citizens.  The family has great pride and respect for their past, but the youngest generation has been captivated by the lure of the wine business in Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany's most famous viticultural zone.  Consequently the Peluso-Centolanis have been commuting between homes in Tuscany and Naples for over fifteen years.  They spent much of the early years searching the Tuscan countryside for the right location, not only for a home worthy of their position (they could afford to build anywhere they pleased), but for a site to make the wine that had become an undeniable passion.  The foray north from Naples was officially made in 1981 when Olga and her father purchased a plot of land that included three vineyards and an old stone wine cellar from the Argiano estate.  Located approximately 3.5 miles from the center of the ancient town of Montalcino on the southern slope of the hill, it was very well known for having a prime location.  The view from the splendid natural terrace on which the winery rises stretches out to the famous Poggio alle Mura Castle in the background, while just a few miles to the northeast you can see the vines of Pieve Santa Restituta, where Angelo Gaja now makes his Brunello that has become an overnight superstar of the appellation.  The Peluso-Centolanis are so enamored with Tuscany that they deferred from using the traditional family crest or even the family name as part of the label; instead they chose a beautiful Tuscan Renaissance frieze embossed in gold as the label's focal point.  The label is one of the most intricate and expensive to grace a bottle of Brunello.  The name Friggiali, rather than anything directly associated with the family, was chosen in order to pay tribute to the Tuscan terrain.  In Latin Friggiali means "a mountain battered by high winds".

Agricola Centolani, the corporate name of the estate, covers about 250 acres, of which 38 acres are planted with vines and eight acres are devoted to olive trees.   The oil produced there is one of the finest extra virgins available.   The estate's vines are spread out in the southern part of the Montalcino zone around Sant' Angelo.  The three separate estate vineyards are situated along the slopes of the Montalcino hill and produce three distinct styles of wine depending on the altitude of the vines.  Fruit from the lower vineyard results in rather mellow wines with high tannins; the more refined wines, full of flavor, come from the vineyard at medium altitude; the top slope yields wine with extremely delicate characteristics and a splendid bouquet.  The Friggiali Brunello di Montalcino is the result of an exacting and careful cuvée of the sangiovese grosso grapes of these vineyards.  The wines from each of the three vineyards are vinified separately, and the blending is done according to the characteristics each one exhibits.

Other Wines from the Centolani Group that are available:

Friggiali Brunello di Montalcino 1996 Price: $80.00

(91 Points) Bright, beautiful aromas of blackberry and dark chocolate follow through to a full body, with lots of fruit and a vanilla, coffee and berry aftertaste. Best after 2010. 5,000 cases made. –JS  Wine Spectator Issue: May 15, 2008

Friggiali Brunello di Montalcino 1998 Price: $74.00   Sale $65.12     Case $755

(89 Points) A balanced and harmonious Brunello, with berry, dried cherry and hints of meat on the nose and palate. Medium- to full-bodied, with silky tannins and a lovely crisp finish. Better with a little bit of age. Centolani needs to follow its vineyards more. Confused style. Best after 2003. 8,380 cases made. –JS  Wine Spectator, Issue: May 31, 2003

Friggiali Brunello di Montalcino 1999 Price: $70.00  Sale $61.60  Case $714

Wine Watch Review: Friggiali is always a bit softer and more drinkable on release than most Brunellos even in a great vintage like 1999, where it appears that the greatest strength of the vintage is that fact that the best wines have incredible balance and a therefore more approachable in their youth.  One the nose this wine is loaded with blackberry black cherry kirsch fruit, opening from the center out on the tongue, smooth and silky texture with fine tannins and highlights of new leather, fresh earth, lavender and spice echoing through the finish.  A complex wine that opens up nicely with an hour of air time and is very enjoyable to drink right now.  Finish 45+  EXCELLENT +

Friggiali Brunello di Montalcino  2000 Price: $58.00   Sale $51.04     Case $592

This was a more forward and drinkable vintage from Montalcino, the wines from 2000 are drinking at their peak today.

Friggiali Brunello di Montalcino  2001 Price: $58.00   Sale $51.04     Case $592

This is a great vintage in Montalcino, the wines have a good amount of everything, Fruit, tannins and firm acidity holding things in place.  Although these wines are starting to drink nicely they will last another couple of decades in your cellar.

Friggiali Brunello di Montalcino  2003 Price: $57.75   Sale $50.82     Case $590.00

(91 Points) Bright, beautiful aromas of blackberry and dark chocolate follow through to a full body, with lots of fruit and a vanilla, coffee and berry aftertaste. Best after 2010. 5,000 cases made. –JS  Wine Spectator, Issue: May 15, 2008

Friggiali Brunello di Montalcino  2004 (Magnum) Price: $115.00

Friggiali Brunello di Montalcino  2004 (3L) Price: $252.00

Fresh plowed earth anise spice and porcini mushroom notes to the wild strawberry and cherry berry fruit. Concentrated and rich on the tongue with layers of red berry fruit exotic spices and dusty earth notes on the finish.   This is a classic vintage for Brunello and even though the wines are somewhat drinkable today the best wines from this vintage like this Friggiali need 5-10 more years.   Finish 45+ Most Excellent

Friggiali Brunello Riserva 1999 List $120  Sale $105.60  Case $1224

Friggiali Brunello Riserva 1999 Magnum List $240.00  Sale $211.20

Friggiali Brunello Riserva 1999  (3 Liter) List $600  Sale $528

(90 Points) There's raspberry and blackberry jam on the nose and palate in this full-bodied Brunello, with big, velvety tannins and loads of fruit. Very concentrated, with plenty of wood. Chewy. Still needs time to come together. Tasted from magnum.—'99 Brunello blind retrospective (2009). Best after 2010. 6,665 cases made. –JS  Wine Spectator, Issue: Web Only - 2010

Donna Olga Brunello Di Montalcino 1999 Price: $90.00  Sale $79.20  Case $918

(91 Points)  Plenty of blackberry, new oak and berry aromas here. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long, caressing finish. A wine with pretty layers of fruit and tannins. Best after 2005. 830 cases made. –JS  Wine Spectator Issue: May 15, 2004

Donna Olga Brunello Di Montalcino 2001 Price: $86.00  Sale $75.68  Case $878

This is a great vintage in Montalcino, the wines have a good amount of everything, Fruit, tannins and firm acidity holding things in place.  Although these wines are starting to drink nicely they will last another couple of decades in your cellar.

Donna Olga Brunello Di Montalcino 2003 Price: $65.00  Sale $57.20  Case $663

(90 Points) Very fresh on the nose, with crushed berry, mineral and mushroom. Full-bodied, very concentrated and chewy. Long, rich and layered. Best after 2010. 1,670 cases made. –JS  Wine Watch Issue: May 15, 2008

Pietranera Brunello Di Montalcino 1998 Price: $74.00  Sale $65.12  Case $755.00

This is a very good vintage and one that is drinking nicely right now, a lighter year the wines have always shown balance and the classic earthy character of Brunello di Montalcino.