Brunello di Montalcino 2020 – Annual Report Part 1

~ Montalcino from Enoteca di Piazza ~

Montalcino has released its latest vintage as Brunello 2020 begin entering the market. Harvests following one as successful as 2019  always lead to a degree of comparison.  And often times it’s unfair. However, that said, 2020 is not at the level of 2019, but it is a very solid vintage for Montalcino.

At Benvenuto Brunello, I made a point to query winemakers about the trio of vintages from 2020-2022.  Of the three, 2020 had the most even growing season. Although there were heat spikes, they weren’t protracted.  The latter two vintages were generally hotter.  As a result, producers favor 2020 and 2021. But even that split, was nearly 50/50.

~ Historical bottles of Altesino in their Cantina ~

I Vini di Brunello di Montalcino

Altesino owns vineyards throughout the Brunello zone. This spread allows them to manage the vagaries of each vintage carefully. Exposure, soils and elevation vary across their six vineyard parcels which total approximately 50 hectares. As a result, the estate Brunello displays a trademark house style. Furthermore, it’s this very consistency that is a hallmark of Altesino’s reputation.

The Altesino Estate Brunello 2020 is a medium crimson color with ruby highlights throughout.  The nose of the wine is very primary at this stage offering red cherry notes and toasted spices.  In the mouth the wine is rather tannic and astringent from the bottle. This moderates as the wine is open but I did not decant the bottle.  Flavors of red cherry are straightforward and persistent.  This is balanced but as the wine warmed, the 15% abv. peeked through more.  Needs some time to soften.  91 points.  Find this wine at Enoteca di Piazza and Save 10% with my Coupon Code “FODERA“.

~ The Altesino needs some cellaring right now, or a lengthy decant ~

A funny story….

After Benvenuto Brunello,  I had the opportunity to have dinner with Giacomo Bartolommei.  We were talking about many different things and the subject of the Consorzio came up.  I think he said something like – they approached me to be the President of the Consorzio, but I have no time for that. My family has done it before and we have done our share.  Understandable.

And then about a month later I saw this:  Announcement.  I guess they made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Giacomo is one of the good guys.  I have extreme confidence in him and wish him well.

The 2020 Caprili Brunello is a spectacular wine.  It marries freshness to ripe fruit and does so deftly; but also because it represents an amazing value around $45.

Dark ruby in the glass, it fades to a copper like sienna color at the edge of the bowl.  Immediately it is expressive on the palate, if not the nose.  Aromas of cherry and soft earth tones are notable but the palate is where this Brunello struts its stuff.  Juicy, fresh, ripe wild cherry are joined by leaf tobacco, sweet herbs and dusty minerals. Very well done and I think will improve over the next 3-5 years.  93 points. Find this wine at Enoteca di Piazza.

~ The Caprili 2020 continues the roll of excellent wines from Giacomo Bartolommei ~

It’s going to be interesting to see if any of the tumult at Castello Banfi results in changes to the wines. My instincts say no, but it does bear watching.  For now,  there are a few more vintages in the pipeline from the prior team.

The 2020 Castello Banfi Brunello is a bright medium ruby.  Very aromatic.  Floral tones merge with  sandalwood and dark  red cherry aromas.   Juicy, bright red fruits on the palate are mouthwateringly fresh.  There’s a hint of dried tobacco too.  This is really nice. Moderate tannins, drinkable now and very well balanced.   Great value, especially at Enoteca di Piazza.   I love it.   93 points.

~ We started with some aged Pecorino from Pienza and were not disappointed with the pairing ~

Campogiovanni is San Felice’s Brunello Estate. The property covers 65 hectares on the southwest side of Montalcino. The estate is divided into different zones, comprising three different soil types. The vineyards are exposed to the south west, though they are mostly flat.  23 hectares are used for Brunello. Campogiovanni is typically more on the richer side of Brunello and the 2020 is no exception.

The 2020 San Felice Brunello is a deep ruby, quite a bit darker ruby than the Castello Banfi.  Deep cherry aromas with hints of vanilla and black olive create the nose.  Rich on the palate, but remains fresh, bright and lively. Black cherry with toasted spices and leaf tobacco are fairly complex. Masculine. Deep. A robust, brawny Brunello.  Really enticing and true to the terroir there, but not everyone’s cup of tea. 91 points.  Price can be all over the place on this one so shop around.  Find this wine.

~ Same cheese, same great result. Both wines were enjoyed with short ribs over risotto ~

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.

The 2020 Pietroso Brunello is a deep, dark crimson color.  Finally, a slight disappointment from this estate. I can’t call it a “clunker” but that said, this vintage seems atypical for this property. On the nose, the wine displays haunting aromas of black plum and Christmas pudding. I like that, but it portended the palate very well.  That ripe, plummy almost raisiny character comes across in the fruit.  This is slightly overdone and imbalanced for me. 15.5% abv is noticeable in the “heat” of the wine and also in the character of the fruit.  I chilled it down for 15 minutes and it was better, but it wasn’t too warm at the outset. And the price is such that you’ve got to be getting a great bottle. This isn’t that.  88 points.  Find this wine.

~ A bit disappointed here given the pedigree and cost ~

Since it’s creation in 2016, the Castello Banfi Cru Vigna Marrucheto has impressed me.   Marrucheto is Banfi’s highest vineyard and has justifiably been singled out as such.  Even in a warmer year (2017) the wine showed freshness.  I was expecting great things from 2020, but it didn’t deliver.

The 2020 Castello Banfi Vigna Marrucheto Brunello is a beautiful ruby color.  The aromas from the wine rise effortlessly.  Crushed cherry, red floral notes, sweet tobacco and spices are really nice. It all ends there.  On the palate, this is drab and bland. I don’t know how else to state it.  Monolithic cherry notes that already seem stale. Little else.  Either it’s completely closed, a bad bottle, or a bad effort. But it wasn’t corked.  I set it aside and tasted it again the next night. Same results.  I don’t get it.  84-87 points. At the price, it’s an approach with caution. Even from Enoteca di Piazza.  (it’s well over $100 elsewhere)

~ I’ll freely say the Jury is out on this one. But I likely won’t be tasting it again so…. ~

Giacomo Neri has always been a trend setter.  He was ahead of his game in 1978 when Casanova di Neri was founded.  That same year, Neri released his first Brunello. From those humble beginnings, the Neri’s have slowly expanded their vineyard holdings. Today, the estate boasts 7 separate vineyard plots totaling 156 acres. Another facet that sets Neri apart from other estates is his reluctance to conform to the Estate/Riserva methodology of labeling. From the beginning Giacomo has relied on the single vineyard concept. In 1981, the Cerretalto single vineyard Brunello was first designated and in 1993, Tenuta Nuova was born.

The 2020 Casanova di Neri Brunello is fabulous. This should be a direct contrast to the Pietroso above.  This wine too is 15% abv but you would not know it.  It’s fresh and lively on the palate and the nose. Wild berries, flowers and tobacco are framed with powdery, dusty tannins that have a limestone, mineral essence to them.  Juicy and long, this is a great version of the “white label”.  94 points.   Great value from Enoteca di Piazza.

~ In the US, this has become rather pricey. But direct from Montalcino it is much more palatable ~

Iconic. When I think of Brunello, the next two producers fit that bill.

The Lisini farm covers 154 hectares near Sant’Angelo in Colle in the southern part of Montalcino. Originally focused on grains and exceptional extra virgin olive oil production, once the popularity of Brunello di Montalcino began to take hold, the focus of the Lisini family became premium wine production.

Today, the estate is dominated by the Sienese tower that serves as the winery and business offices and which dates to the early 1300s. The heart of the estate is 20 hectares of vineyards devoted to Sangiovese Grosso.

The 2020 Lisini Brunello was enjoyed at a local Trattoria in Buonconvento during the Rustic Tuscany Tour this past September.  Normally, I don’t take detailed notes on the Tour – preferring instead to interact with the guests.  However, this wine made me turn my head and we had ordered several bottles. So I thought it would be rather valuable to taste it across the range.

Deep crimson in color with a perfumed nose.  Fresh and juicy crushed berry with tobacco, minerals and baking spices on the nose and palate. Powdery tannins that are ever so elegant.  Masculine and powerful but retains a certain elegance.  It was phenomenal with bistecca. 95 points, and eye opener.   You can search for it here.  But I’d wait until Enoteca di Piazza gets it in.  They have the Riserva 2019 for the same price as the regular Brunello in the US.

~ Lisini made a gorgeous Brunello in 2020 ~

Not to be out done by the Lisini, is the 2020 Tenuta il Poggione Brunello.   This was a case of expecting a wine to be good and then having it not only meet those expectations, but blow past them.  That’s how impressed I was with this 2020.

Dark ruby in the glass, the aromas are exceptional.  Crushed berry, wild fennel, toasted spices and leaf tobacco are complex and dare I say boisterous.  On the palate, the first taste was tight but sensing this was ready to show, I decanted it.   After 45 minutes or so this sang.  Symphonies!  Crushed stones, sapid herbs, mouth watering wild berry, sour cherry, espresso, and silky tannins round out the palate. This might be better than the 2019.  96 points.  Great value at Enoteca di Piazza.

~ Stellar ~

Lastly, we turn to another icon, with similar results but a bit muted enthusiasm.

The Fuligni Estate spreads over approximately one hundred hectares of land on the eastern side of Montalcino.  The vines, which extend over fourteen hectares, are primarily located at altitudes varying from 380 to 450 meters above sea level.  Oddly, despite being in one of the older sections of the DOCG, Fuligni’s vines average just 15 years of age.  As a result, it’s safe to expect more complex wines will be coming our way.  This is especially true for the block of vineyard where the “Mother Vines” are close to 40 years old.

~ The wine cellars at Fuligni are immaculate despite their historic age ~

The ancient Fuligni Cellars are directly below the Palazzo di Montalcino; a former home inhabited by the Medici. Dating to the 16th century, the cellars are actually older than the building overhead which was once occupied by a Spanish Princess guest of the Medici. Here Brunello ages gracefully in Slavonian Botte of 200 and 300 hectoliters.

The 2020 Fuligni Brunello is a wonderful wine.  Classically colored with a burnt sienna rim, the wine exudes class as the aromas are of roses, fennel seed, cherry and new leather.  On the palate, this classy, high toned Sangiovese is sapid and mouth watering. The eastern side of Montalcinese terroir is evident in this Brunello.  Ripe cherry, bergamot orange zest and hints of black tea lead to a long, juicy finish. I love this style and have written about Fuligni before.  But the pain here is in the price.  The best offer I’ve seen is naturally at Enoteca di Piazza.  With my coupon code, maybe it’s tempting.  But in the US, this bottle approaches $150 and it’s an easy pass at that price.  94 points.

~ Not the hand written 2020 on the label.  This was originally a label from 2018 ~

Closing Ramblings

In looking back at this initial pass of 2020 Brunello tastings, Benvenuto Brunello notwithstanding,  I was thinking: I wonder if my readers look at these reviews and think,  “John likes almost every Brunello.”  But then I thought, that’s not true at all.  I think if anything, it speaks to the vast improvements in cellar management, barrel aging, vineyard management and understanding your land that Brunello producers are doing better than ever. It’s a testament to their commitment to quality.

I always consider myself stingy with points.  I’d much rather describe the wine’s style. But if I give a 95+ score, the wine better be exceptional. And I want you all to know that.  Then I got to transcribing the reviews for Marrucheto and Pietroso and I realized, yes – there’s the “stinge”.   I call them as I taste them. I’ve loved those wines in the past but they missed the mark in 2020. And that’s ok. There are always more wines to go around.

What do you think?  Are you a buyer of the 2020 vintage?  Are you skipping that and saving money for the 2021s which should, by all measure and my early barrel/bottle tastings,  be excellent?  That’s a valid strategy.  But, you don’t have to decide now. There are more data points coming from 2020 – and I will have them for you.

Salute!