Started winding down the year a little early last night and opened a recent gift with an eye toward making future buying decisions.
The 2007 Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino is a bit atypical for the vintage given the other Brunello I’ve had from 2007. In the glass, the wine is a medium ruby, with lots of copper at the rim and rust throughout. It already looks much older than it is and it took me by surprise. Not decanted, but opened about 45 minutes before dinner, the wine offers pleasing aromas of crushed fruit, slight earth and spice. On the palate, the wine is straightforward and medium bodied. There’s a monolithic core of cherry fruit with some acid and moderate tannins to round it out. Very simple. It possesses little of the stature you expect in a Brunello; especially one at this price point. There isn’t anything off-putting about the wine at all and perhaps blind, I’d peg it for a mid-weight Rosso di Montalcino, but because that’s not what the wine is, it’s a big problem.
I have the 2006 version of this wine in the cellar so I hope they just missed the mark with the 2007 vintage. It certainly doesn’t seem typical of the house track record. 90 points, about $60 and in this vintage, not recommended.
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| The disappointing 2007 Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino |
E Vero!
John, "not recommended" is unusual for you an Brunello. I too have the 2006 in the cellar, and was waiting for the sale this week to buy the 2007, and unless the discount is deep indeed, I'll take your word for it and skip this one.
I would Dennis. Not so much because this was a "bad" wine, far from it. But I expect a lot from Brunello when it's priced normally. This one, is a bit expensive given the many options I have in this market, for both 2006 and 2007 wines. It's just not worth the money given what it is. For example, I will review a 2006 Brunello next week – one I've never heard of – that a friend brought over. It was tasty and very similar to a heavy Rosso di Montalcino, or even this Fuligni. The difference? His wine was $19.99. Yes, for a Brunello.
Happy New Year!
John, I've changed my mind on buying this wine, and I'll tell you why: first, we have so few Brunello wines available (This is one of them), second reason is JS is one of the reviewers you've pointed to as authoritative, says this wine is "A gorgeous wine. . ." 95 points. So, even if I split down the middle of the two of you, I'll come away satisfied!