Poggio Antico is a giant among other giants. It’s consistently one of the best Brunello vintage after vintage. The 2006 is no exception and this tasting reveals barely a glimpse of what this wine will become.
The estate of Poggio Antico has been owned for decades by the Gloder family but since 1987 by Paola Gloder Montefiori and her husband Alberto. Carlo Ferrini is the winemaker. The estate Brunello is a combination of classic tradition with modern innovation. Vinification takes place in large stainless steel vats and the wine is aged for 48 months prior to release, 36 of which are in traditional large Slavonian casks, followed by a year in bottle. Every attention to detail is made, from the manual processess in the vineyard until bottling. The results illustrate this dedication to quality.
The 2006 Brunello is a masterpiece. The dark, blackish ruby wine was not decanted, but no matter, for the aromas were boisterous and prevalent. New leather, sweet pipe tobacco, wild flowers and freshly crushed fruit fill the glass. It’s so fresh, it’s as if the wine were instantly made from vineyard to table. On the palate, the wine is full bodied, but ripe and elegant. The acid and tannic structure are in balance, but the tannins are not over bearing. They are intricately integrated with the fruit which allow the wine to be enjoyed at this young age. Crushed berries, wild forest notes, fennel, and rich tobacco notes are present on the palate. Long, ripe perfumed finish. This is Riserva quality. Hard not to drink this now, but after 5 more years of cellaring, this will be even more amazing. 95 points, about $50.
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| ~ Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino ~ |
What to eat? We had a wonderfully simple take on roasted chicken. With it being too hot to light up the oven, I took a large chicken, seasoned it with Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Paprika and Rosemary, stuffed a cut lemon inside the cavity, draped it with Pancetta and then grilled it (with the burner under the chicken off) at 400 degrees for 1 hour and 45 minutes. It was perfect.
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| ~ Pollo Antico, before heading to the Grill ~ |
Allora!
Eccellente!
John, did the cat get a hold of this bottle while you were cooking;-')
🙂 I didn't know what you meant until I looked. That's funny. No, the racks on the Eurocave did that. They can be persnickety like cats whenever they hold "non-standard" bottles.