Retrospective: Brunello 2013 Part 1

~ Sunset over vineyards on the Caprili Estate ~

Brunello 2013 are now 11 years old.  When I garnered my first taste of the wines at Benvenuto Brunello, the buzz in the room about this cooler than normal vintage was that it was a “return to classicism”.  I knew then to be concerned.

But was that concern warranted?   There were 4 installments to my annual coverage back then. You can access them all here: Brunello 2013 Part 4.

Now comes this retrospective tasting.  Over the past few weeks I’ve tasted a handful of 2013 Brunello alongside various meals.  What I found was interesting.

~ Sunset over Il Civettaio, the Agriturismo we use for the first portion of the Rustic Tuscany Tour. It is situated right near the southern border of the Brunello zone ~

I stated the following at the time my initial installment of 2013 coverage was published:

“Generally, the 2013 Brunello as a whole are a bit austere, especially compared to the recent warmer years of 2011 and 2012. They will reward 3-5 more years of aging and I anticipate they’ll easily bring wonderful drinking and personalities into their 10th birthdays. Of course, these are generalizations but I’m pretty comfortable making both of those statements.”

I think this article will prove this to be accurate.  I’ve had many 2013 wines – Brunello and otherwise, over the intervening years and always felt like I wanted more.  Perhaps patience was indeed warranted.  For this report,  I’ve chosen to restrict this Retrospective to only 5 wines per part.  As a result, I can include my original reviews and scores for the tasted wines.  This will allow for more direct comparison.

~ The captivating but ever so tiny hamlet of Sant’Angelo in Colle ~

Assaggio – Benvenuto 2013

The San Polo estate is owned by the Allegrini family, who brings their Veneto wine making prowess to Montalcino. The estate has wonderful terroir and claims Biondi Santi and Fattoria Barbi as neighbors on either side. Yet stylistically, San Polo usually leans more toward the modern side of the spectrum.

During 2023, it was announced that Marilisa Allegrini will be leaving the Allegrini winery in Veneto to concentrate on her holdings in Montalcino and Maremma.  Her daughters are shepherding the Veneto winery.

The 2013 San Polo Brunello is a medium ruby in color with a classic fade at the rim.  Straight from the bottle, this shows pretty aromas of crushed red berry, hints of anise and touches of soft sandalwood. On the palate, this stays fresh and shows good concentration. It’s medium to full bodied and rather elegant. Delicious with a range of pasta and chicken dishes.  91 points.  Find this wine.

Original Review:  Clear medium ruby with violet reflections, the wine exudes aromas of crushed berry, flowers, tobacco and leather. Medium to full bodied over an elegant frame, the flavors of cherry, cypress scrub, and floral notes are high toned in an almost brisk way. Juicy, long finish. This is well made a represents a stylistic departure from San Polo’s norm – even if it is confined to the 2013 vintage. 91 points.

~ An attractive Brunello drinking very well now ~

Just south of Montalcino, near Castelnuovo dell’Abate, lies the 60 acres of vineyards of La Poderina, Now owned by Saiagrigola, Riccardo Cotarella is the consulting winemaker. Therefore, it may fit that La Poderina’s belief is that “innovation serves tradition”.  In that vein, the wines are aged in barrique as well as large cask.

The 2013 La Poderina Brunello is a dark ruby in the glass with an almost balsamic tint at the rim of the bowl.  That worried me a bit, but proved to be unfounded.  This is very fresh in the glass with aromas of crushed cherry, fresh red licorice, toasted spices and dried mushroom.  This is simply gorgeous in the mouth.  Fresh, juicy and lively with wild cherry notes that are mouthwatering.  Vanilla and toasted tobacco leaf are wonderful at framing the fruit.  From this vintage, I can’t ask for more.  94 points. Find this wine.  Find this wine.

Original Review: On the nose, the taster is greeted by fresh aromas of ripe cherry with rosemary and sandalwood. The palate is balanced and attractive but is a bit “cat and mouse” or coy at the moment. Are you playing it cool? You show me just enough to keep me intrigued, but you’re not divulging your whole hand. That’s ok. The structure is here and so is the balance. The red fruits on the palate are perfumed and marked by dried leaf tobacco and and menthol. Give this some short (3-4 years) cellar time and I think it will begin to blossom. 91 points.

~ A very impressive showing for La Poderina ~

The Poggio Alle Mura vineyard lies just outside the walls of Castello Banfi and is planted with optimal Sangiovese clones for the soil, exposure and altitude; the fruit of Banfi’s extensive clonal research project.

The vineyard is really coming into its own. Are its best days ahead? Perhaps. But it will be hard to imagine given the quality of the 2013.

The 2013 Castello Banfi Poggio alle Mura Cru Brunello remains impressive.  Look at the color!  It’s a deep garnet still, with only a slight fade to copper at the edge of the bowl.  Boisterous aromas of plush wild cherry, hints of roasted nuts and toasted spices,  fresh porcini and sweet fennel make the nose incredibly alluring.  In the mouth, this is ripe, juicy and fresh. Leans more toward the muscular, than rather elegant, spectrum of Brunello.  The long finish shows dusty tannins, ripe anise and velvety vanilla tinged tobacco leaf.  It’s hard to find fault here.  96 points.  Find this wine.   One final comment before reproducing my original note. If I saw this wine at the Estate – I’d buy it.

Original Review: Deep ruby to violet in color, the look here is nearly impenetrable. Lots of crushed berry, sandalwood, pipe tobacco and herbs on the nose beg the taster to sip. Classy, refined and polished, this Sangiovese has layers of crushed red fruit, toasted walnut, pipe tobacco and vanilla flavors that go on and on. Masculine structure, with lots of juicy acidity and tannins that beg aging, this is a 15 year wine at a minimum. This vineyard gets better and better. 95 points. 

~ An excellent Brunello that still has plenty of time left to enjoy or cellar ~

The next wine wasn’t included in the normal 2013 coverage because it wasn’t released at the time.  Although it’s a Riserva, I’ve decided to include it here.

The Poggio al Vento vineyard, which translates as “Windy Hill”, lies at the top of Col d’Orcia’s estate over 1,500 feet above sea level. The winds from Mount Amiata provide ventilation to the vines which prevents various fungal diseases. Planted in 1974, the vineyard provides complex grapes used solely for Brunello Riserva.

The 2013 Col d’Orcia Poggio al Vento Brunello Riserva is a deep garnet color in the glass, but displays an almost brown color at the edge of the bowl.  The aromas rise from the glass in punctuating fashion. They are precise but they are not delicate.  They almost punch you.  Dark black cherry tones are immense and backed by cocoa, worn wood and notes of balsamic syrup.  On the palate, this “very cherry” as it was described to me, and I’d have to agree.  Meaty, almost monolithic, this does show ancillary flavors of bakers cocoa, chestnut and dried tobacco.  I’d drink this sooner rather than later with a meaty meal.  It’s a bit overdone for my tastes.  92 points.  Find this wine.   You can see by the reviews and scores of the other wines in this article that the Riserva doesn’t warrant the premium in price.

~ Poggio al Vento pushes the envelope for Col d’Orcia ~

It’s been over a decade since I interviewed Giacomo Bartolommei – at the time, it was my 100th article on this website.  Man how times have changed and flown by!   We’ve done lots of work together since.

The family estate spreads over 58 hectares in the southwest territory of Montalcino on hillsides that slope toward the Orcia and Ombrone rivers.

The 2013 Caprili Brunello is a medium ruby that is beginning to pick up some balsamic color.  Bright berry tones on the nose give way to dried rosemary and soft earth notes.  On the palate, the core of wild cherry fruit is still present but fading slightly.  Paired against mushroomy earth and a slight hint of funkiness, to me this was probably better 3-4 years ago.  Drink now.  89 points.  Find this wine.

Original Review:  This is classically styled and classic. Medium ruby in color, this has lots of violet reflections that create a lovely prism effect. Fresh and vibrant on the nose with crushed berry, tobacco leaf, hints of soft earth and porcini notes. Ripe and round on the palate with a full bodied core of wild cherry fruit that is mouthwatering and sapid. Herbs, and earth/funk add some complexity but in my experience, the more earthy nuances that this estate displays will become more pronounced with age. Meaty and chewy. Needs 5 years to develop. 92+ points.

~ You can see the color of this wine beginning to change. It’s ready to drink. ~

That will wrap up this article.  However, there will be one more piece of this Retrospective and another 5-8 data points coming from 2013.  What do you think about 2013 Brunello?  Do you still have this vintage?  Is it something you never bought, or already drank through?  Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments section.

Salute!