It’s brooding, it’s tight, it needs to be decanted for 90 minutes plus….but what emerges on the other side is an absolutely gorgeous, richly crafted Brunello. That such excellence can be achieved on the scale that Castello Banfi manages to execute, is testimony to the expertise of their winemaker Rudi Buratti and his team.
I first tasted this wine back in March of 2012. I went long after that sample and I’m very glad I did. The profile of this wine hasn’t budged since and this tasting gives every indication that this Brunello will have a long life ahead.
In the glass, the wine is deep, blackish red. Faint aromas at first were barely noticeable but after the air mentioned above, a complex array of crushed red fruits, licorice, fennel and pipe tobacco was plentiful. On the palate, the wine exhibits loads of rich berry fruit with laser like acidity in perfectly balanced proportion to the ripe, velvety tannins. There’s wild berry, tanned leather, cinnamon spice, red licorice and fresh earth backing the core of fruit. It was absolutely delicious with roasted rack of pork. This wine will easily drink well for 10-15 more years. As I said initially, I think it’s the best estate Brunello that Castello Banfi has ever produced. It’s still available for sale in my market if you search. 95 points, about $55.
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| ~ Stunning Brunello by Castello Banfi ~ |
Prost!
Fratel John! Ho uno di quelli in mio Eruo Cave.
Buonissimo!
Drank the 2007 last weekend for my birthday.. Was also outstanding! Less powerfull than some bruello i also enjoy, but so complex, and the mouthfeel on this one is amazing!
I agree Raph. The 2007 is nice and great now, but this 2006 is pretty special. The 2004 will follow along too, but is the most backward of the three right now.
Yah I wish I could have put a hand on that vintage of Banfi's but it's not available here anymore.. I don't know what's with 2004 Brunello.. There is consensus with everybody saying it's a great vintage and I have to agree with that but a few months ago I opened a 2004 Casanova di Neri Brunello white label, it was good but I had to decanted it for hours cause it was still "green", it seems like I could have cellared it for years still.. It's like some Brunello from this vintage will last for 20 years easily.. And most of the 2007's I tried are drinkable now within 1-2 hours of decanting
Ok, I have a 2004 too, but I doubt that I'll wait another 20 years to drink it :-), cause I've already found this to be a delicious 93 point wonder!
Gents, remember that 2007 was a very hot fruit forward year. The wines will surely charm early and probably last less in the cellar given they are comparably lower in acid. Raph, the 2004 Casanova is odd to me as well. I don't think I'd use that as a benchmark for other 2004s. I've tasted many and they are on this site I believe so search around for more data points. Patience in both cases and that goes for you Mr T!
I totally agree about the 2007 characteristics of the vintage and about my "just a bit exaggerating" 2004 20-year remark 😉 .. Thanks guys!