I’ve written quite a bit about the excellent 2006 vintage for Brunello di Montalcino, and even with all the tremendous 2006’s currently on the market, the 2007’s are trickling onto store shelves.
The early consensus from Montalcino is that while both vintages are excellent and rated 5 stars by the Brunello Consortium, the vintages differ quite a bit stylistically. 2006 is regarded as the more “classic” vintage with loads of fruit, bright juicy acids, ripe tannins, and lots of perfume. They clearly impress now, but are built to age long and gracefully and will surely reward proper cellaring. The 2007’s are more exuberant, more fruit forward, richer overall wines that will charm earlier, but may not be the perfect candidates for the cellar.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be reporting on several 2007 Brunello and will be able to compare and contrast these two great years first hand. I also hope to be completing my interview with a prominent Brunello producer who can directly shed some light on these two benchmark vintages. For now, here is a snapshot of wines to come, and the first 2007 Brunello’s in the que. Enjoy!
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| 2007 Brunello di Montalcino: Casanova di Neri, Mocali, Uccelliera, & La Serena |
The first tasted of the bunch, was the 2007 La Serena Brunello di Montalcino. I loved the 2006 version of this wine and have some resting in the cellar. Back then I called this “Wild Thing” for it’s noticeable gamey notes, but I didn’t get that sense with the 2007 version. This wine is dark, blackish purple in the glass. The extraction is amazing. From the eastern portion of the Brunello Zone, La Serena is close to other producers making similarly extracted Brunello, so this seems to indicate a trend for that area. Aromas of crushed fruit, smokey plums, licorice, and sweet pipe tobacco fill the glass. In the mouth, the wine is full bodied with loads of ripe berry/plum fruit, big ripe tannins, spice, and leather. The fruit is juicy and forward, but with substantial tannin and acid to keep things in balance. Not quite as complex as it’s 2006 counterpart, but this is delicious nonetheless. If it isn’t already, put this producer on your radar. About $40. 93 points.
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| 2007 La Serena Brunello di Montalcino |
The second tasted from the group was the 2007 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino. This wine was an interesting comparison to the La Serena. In the glass, the wine is dark ruby, with a copper rim. Very typical and not nearly as dark as the La Serena. The generous aromas include roses, ripe cherries, and red earth. The flavors follow the nose, but add a sweet, dusty, minerally aspect to the fruit. Tannins are substantial, but very well integrated. Still, I think this will show better with 2-4 years cellaring. Really compelling quality here given the price. About $34. 92 points.
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| 2007 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino |
The next installment to come soon……..
John, you are already salivating!;-) Earlier I told you that we were having a 15% off sale on Italian wines, and I bought 5 BMs, but the average price was much higher than in NJ ($54.90) I forget, is the price you quote taxes and all?
The La Serena has a beautiful label! I know it's what's on the inside of the bottle, but I have often thought of collecting the labels, and that's a great one.
Dennis,
I think we're all human and love labels. If that were not the case, all labels would say: Brunello Wine on a white background with little more. Remember why I bought the Bella Luce? 🙂
The price I quote is always the shelf price, before tax. That way it's more relevant if people can figure their own tax rate on top. It's also the "sale" price or "discounted" price if I received one – though if that latter, I typically make that clear. Most retailers around here have 95% of their stock perpetually "on sale" so discounts are getting rare.