2018 Brunello – Part 1

~ Montalcino, home to the majestic Brunello, as seen from the Fortezza ~

Benvenuto Brunello 2018!

After a trying and difficult 2017 vintage, producers across Montalcino were eager to begin a new growing season and optimistic for a return to more even weather.  Nowadays, each vintage seems to present challenges and 2018 was no different, but overall, the weather during the vintage was relatively calm.

General Vintage Character

As I wrote in my Harvest Report coverage, the winter of 2018 brought even and normal amounts of snow and rain to Italy’s vineyards and as Spring dawned it remained very cool and rainy. The lower temperatures weren’t a concern but the rainfall was much higher than normal. The biggest challenge under such conditions is preventing mildew and rot on the vines.  As a result, winemakers pay careful attention to pruning and canopy management which prevented many of those calamities.

Toward the end of April the rains moderated, the temperatures warmed and bud break began normally; and more importantly, in a timely manner that prevented frost concerns. The Summer was moderate enough until August when the heat spiked into triple digits for days at a time.  But, the accumulated water reserves prevented stressing of the vines. 

~ Il Palazzone’s Due Porte Vineyard ~

When I covered the 2018 vintage at Benvenuto Brunello in November,  I made two general observations.   First, the vintage is an early charmer. While many of the wines are delicious, there’s nary one I ran across that I thought needed cellaring.

Second, the hot weather in August clearly affected some wines which show dried herb and/or an unpleasant stemmy character.   That being said, the wines tasted for this report have mostly impressed me.  Many are juicy, fresh, delicious Sangiovese.

I’ll take this moment to break with the Consorzio here.  I see no benefit in holding Benvenuto Brunello in New York City as early as November.  The event was historically held in January. Most of the Brunello presented at Benvenuto had been bottled less than 3 months prior. Many less than that.  Some producers didn’t participate because they hadn’t yet bottled.  Then, in addition to the bottling shock, the wines were sent across the ocean days before the tasting.  This serves no one well.  And I think it contributes to a lot of the negativity surrounding 2018.  It won’t surprise me if, when this coverage concludes,  I rate many of the wines higher now than I did back in November.

At any rate, I am excited to show my Rustic Tuscany Travelers these wines which will be plentiful across Montalcino in October.  Let’s get to it!

I Vini di Brunello di Montalcino – 2018

It was the best wine I tasted in November.  It’s still drop dead gorgeous.  I bought plenty.

2018 Fattoi Brunello – Deep ruby, just gorgeous. The nose is loaded with crushed berry and cherry fruit along with savory herbs, hints of sweet fennel and forest notes. Fresh and lively on the palate. Juicy, snappy wild cherry fruit is amazing. Full body, with only moderate tannins – a hallmark of the vintage – this has been great every time I’ve had it. Excellent length and purity of flavors. 95 points. A great, great value in Brunello. Bravo!  If you decide to try this wine, use the link and my coupon code “FODERA” at checkout to save 10%!   Find this wine

~ A classic, juicy, fresh and delicious Brunello ~

Tenuta La Fuga is the Brunello property owned by Giovanni and Ambrogio Folonari.   Located near the commune of Camigliano, the estate has been in the Folonari portfolio since 2001. Folnari’s smallest estate, the vineyards span only 10 hectares but as most of the vines are approaching 30+ years of age, the wines are becoming more complex and impressive.

~ Vineyards on the Tenuta La Fuga Estate, southwest of Montalcino ~

2018 Tenuta La Fuga Brunello: Color is… On the nose, the expressive dark cherry, fresh sweet herb and fennel notes are intense and very attractive. On the palate, this is rich and full bodied. Black cherry, dusty cocoa and sweet pipe tobacco are just wonderful.  The tannins are in obtrusive if there are any. A good example of drink me now vintage. Fresh and lively.  93 points.  Find this wine.

~ This was a very impressive showing from the Folonari Brunello property ~

Talenti is at the top of their game.  From their highest vineyard just south of Montalcino to their vineyards located throughout the zone, Talenti produces fresh, highly floral Brunello.  There’s a reason they’ve become a fixture on the Rustic Tuscany Tour.

~ Azienda Talenti – the entrance to the offices (l) and Tasting Room (R) ~

2018 Talenti Brunello: The classic looking medium ruby fades to a burnt sienna ring at the rim of the bowl.  Fresh aromas of crushed berry, floral notes and iron mark the nose with hints of spiced pipe tobacco.  High toned red flowers and wild berries on the palate add iron and minerality for complexity.  Fresh and juicy but not as meaty on the palate as some others, yet so elegant.  92 points.  Find this wine.

~ Another winner from Riccardo Talenti ~

There are many producers in Montalcino now, from small to large.  But it doesn’t get any smaller than Pietroso.  Pietroso is a 5 hectare estate on the balcony of Montalcino Centro. The farm is a mere 500 meters from the center of town. Owned and run by Gianni Pignattai, the family crafts Rosso and Brunello from their 5 hectares. There is also 1 hectare of olive trees.

2018 Pietroso Brunello:  This is a gorgeous medium ruby color; clear and bright.  Shy nose with a slight whiff of alcohol, crushed wild berry and fresh herbs.  Quite tasty on the palate. It’s what I like to call “pure juice”.  Fresh, with cherry, berry, spice and dried herbs that are persistent.  It turns a bit dry on the finish with slight stemminess to the tannins.  I love this producer but this one suffers just slightly. 40th anniversary vintage for them.  90 points.  Find this wine.

~ Pietroso is a lovely produce and this one is elegant and fresh despite showing a bit of stemminess that can be a hallmark of the vintage ~

The La Casaccia di Franceschi estate is also rather small.  Owned by the children of Leopoldo Franceschi (Il Poggione Owner) Flavia and Federico run the 12 hectare property near the Sant’Antimo Abbey.

2018 La Casaccia di Franceschi Brunello:  This is a deep ruby color with lasers of violet poking through.  Although a bit tight on the nose initially,  aromas of black cherry, sapid herbs and spices emerge.  Flavors echo the aroma with a central core of cherry fruit that is medium to full bodied. Fairly tannic, moreso than some of the others in this report.  Trails off a little bit dry at the end. A mark of the vintage that shortens the finish.  91 points.   Email the winery for availability.

~ An interesting note about the label – the Two F’s, one facing forward and one facing backward are for “Flavia” and “Federico” but also signify the next generation moving forward while respecting the experience of the past ~

I have to admit, when Chief winemaker Rudy Buratti passed away in 2018, naturally I was sad at the loss of someone I came to know.  But I was also concerned for Castello Banfi.   Buratti helmed Castello Banfi for over 30 years leading the estate through some amazing transformations.  I knew his impact would be felt.  This wistful feeling of mine, this bit of nostalgia is flooding back to me as I realize this next wine is the first Brunello to be released without any guidance from Rudy.  Today, Buratti’s shoes have been filled by the very capable Gabrielle Pazzaglia;  Buratti’s long tenured understudy.  It’s clear the estate is in good hands.  It’s clear that maybe somehow, Buratti has impacted vintages beyond his time.

The 2018 Castello Banfi Brunello is a deep ruby to almost garnet color in the glass. Dark red cherry, dusty stones, light wood tones and Sambuca mark the interesting nose.  Full body with bright cherry flavors marked by accents of toasted spice and pipe tobacco that float deftly on the palate.  This is a bit more tannic than I expected it to be,  but remains a balanced and juicy Brunello.  This is excellent winemaking in the vintage and a great value for the estate wine.  93 points.  Find this wine.

~ Castello Banfi has released another very good Estate Brunello ~

When I penned my recent Feature on Tenuta Il Poggione, I deliberately excluded the next wine from that article.

2018 Tenuta Il Poggione Brunello:  This is a brilliant deep ruby color clear to the rim.  Pure wild berry and sandalwood on the nose are backed by a bit of dried herbs;  but this is very primary. On the palate, this is medium bodied and fresh.  Dried herbs, sweet berry fruit and iron flavors are present in the mouth but the tannins shorten the finish slightly.  You can sense the hallmark of the vintage a little bit as the tannins finish a bit stemmy.  Drink this one now and over the next 4 years.  91 points.  Find this wine.

~ The tannins give a sense of the difficulty in the 2018 vintage but this possesses enough character to overwhelm that ~

Since 1979, the Centolani family has farmed vineyards in Montalcino.  Today they produce three labels of Brunello;  Friggiali, Pietranera and Poggiotondo all from unique vineyard sites.  While Friggiali is typically destined for on premise sales,  Pietranera and Poggiotondo are generally found at retail.  It’s funny, I’ve had the following wine in a few vintages but haven’t written about it since the 2014, which coincidentally, I scored the same.  Which one is good, which one is bad?  Sigh….

2018 Poggiotondo Brunello – This is from the Centolani family of estates. In the glass this is a bright ruby in color with violet highlights. Darker than some and very pretty.  Cherry and herbal aromas mark the nose.  On the palate, this is medium to full in body with flavors of dried cherry and dried herbs. It’s too tannic for the core of fruit to sustain and the finish turns green, stemmy and drying from the tannins. Tasted twice with consistent notes. Not recommended.  84 points.  Find this wine.

~ Maybe time will flesh this out a bit – but I’m skeptical as to whether there will be any charm to the fruit left when that happens. ~

The next estate has long been one of my favorites and with good reason.  Andrea Cortonesi attentively farms his 8 hectares of vineyards which at one time were part of the Ciacci Piccolomini estate.  His attention to detail is obvious and it pays dividends.  A stop at Uccelliera is a fixture on the Rustic Tuscany Tour.

~ Vineyards of Uccelliera. Beyond the olive grove in the background is the Ciacci Piccolomini Estate ~

The 2018 Uccelliera Brunello is a deep ruby color with a classically styled light copper rim at the edge of the bowl.  The initially reticent aromas blossom with air so a short decant wouldn’t hurt this.  Fresh flowers, fresh herbs and wild cherry aromas are attractive.  On the palate, freshness is the key.  This is delicious, as I have come to expect from Andrea Cortonesi.  Wild berry flavors are juicy and lively. Sandalwood, minerality and fresh sweet herbs join the fray.  The tannins are so well integrated as to almost seem absent. This is elegant and graceful.  94 points.  Find this wine.

~ Utterly delicious ~

~ Andrea and Angela preparing part of our tasting during the Rustic Tuscany Tour ~

Finally, to close Part 1,  I am checking in on an Estate that I haven’t visited in a while.   Villa i Cipressi farms 3 1/2 hectares of vineyards located in two different locations within the zone.  The smaller of the two is located near Castelnuovo dell’Abate and the vineyard closest to the winery on the western slopes of Montalcino.  This latter vineyard is imposing terrain which I point out during the Rustic Tuscany Tour.  It’s steep beyond belief.

~ Old fashioned harvesting at Villa i Cipressi ~

The 2018 Villa i Cipressi Brunello is a gorgeous bright ruby color with violet highlights. Initial aroma is of subtle perfume; this reminds me of the worn wooden desk, covered with fabrics, soaps and perfumes in the Salvioni Farmacia off the Piazza in Montalcino. Hints of herbs, berry and spices follow.

On the palate, initially this is rather tannic, slightly stemmy and drying on the palate. Develops a little better.  Mild berry fruit is pleasant enough but without food, this turns uninspiringly bitter.  Throughout the meal I kept expecting (hoping?) it would improve since I recently found a stash of this priced more like a Rosso.  It didn’t and I kicked myself again for getting sucked in by one of those “flash” offers.  Dropped off the email distribution. Good riddance.  83 points.  Not recommended.

~ This wine is a masters class in what went wrong with the 2018 vintage ~

I anticipate Part 2 of this year’s coverage to publish before I leave for Tuscany on October 9th.  The 2018 Brunello will be everywhere during the Tour and I’d like to try as many as possible to really expand and deepen my knowledge of the vintage.  Stay tuned!

Cheers!