Notes From ‘Benvenuto Brunello’
By: Allen R. Balik
Although Italy is a rather small country, it boasts by far the largest range of indigenous wine grape varietals and growing areas of any country in the world. From the northeast regions of Valpolicella, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Soave among others, to the far south in Puligia (the heel of the boot) and on to the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, great wines are produced from local varietals that pair beautifully with traditional cuisine as it has evolved over the ages.
Tuscany is located in the northern central region of Italy extending inland from the Mediterranean and is somewhat equidistant between Bologna in the north and Rome in the south. Because of the wide range of soil types, elevations, exposures and climatic disparity it is considered one of Italy’s most complex viticultural areas.
The region contains several of Italy’s most highly respected Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) and Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) delimited growing areas. Both administer a series vineyard and winemaking regulations while the DOCG also manages the quality and geographic authenticity of the individual wines that are evaluated by a registered tasting panel.
Sangiovese is the benchmark grape of Tuscany but numerous other native and international varietals exist including several whites that may also be used to specific limits in various red blends from approved areas.
Several weeks ago, I was invited by the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino to “Benvenuto Brunello,” an in-depth “master class” and tasting of the wines of Montalcino held in San Francisco. Forty vintners from this most prestigious area of Tuscany were on hand with multiple bottlings of Brunello di Montalcino (Montalcino’s flagship DOCG), Rosso di Montalcino (DOC with less time in barrel and bottle before release), Sant’Antimo ( DOC with Sangiovese and other local and authorized international varietals) and a few Moscadellos (DOC using Moscato Bianco) that provided a selection of lightly sweet to dessert-style examples. The available range of current and library vintages in all categories further demonstrated the region’s breadth.
The primary clone of Sangiovese in Montalcino is Sangiovese Grasso, often referred to as Brunello (the “nice dark one” in the local dialect), that produces some of Italy’s most noble and age-worthy wines. It was first recognized and propagated by Ferruccio Biondi-Santi in the late 19th Century, and the wines of Biondi-Santi continue today as among the finest examples of Brunello di Montalcino.
My immersion into the wines of Montelcino began with a detailed master class on the region and its wines lead by Gabriele Gorelli, an extraordinary Master of Wine (MW) candidate and Montalcino native. During the seminar, Gabriele guided us on an extensive visual and spoken tour of this most complex area accompanied by a tasting of nine well-chosen and just released 2015 Brunellos from across Montalcino. Also present were several of the winemakers and vintners to comment on their wines and answer any questions.
The town of Montalcino sits at the highest point of this Unesco World Heritage site at 1850 feet elevation and located in the Provence of Siena. Four main soil types have been identified as you move down the slopes in various directions (northeast, southeast, northwest and southwest) and into the valley below that is surrounded by three rivers. Since Sangiovese is extremely site-specific, these distinct soils, elevations and exposures result in an intricate diversity of flavor and aromatic profiles exhibited in the individual wines produced.
The climate is typically Mediterranean with warm days and cool nights, but the levels of rainfall and temperature may vary greatly from one year to the next. This was artfully exhibited during the diverse tasting following the master class, where subtle stylistic expressions were on display from multiple vintages, specific growing areas and individual producers that made for a well-founded educational experience.
While the tasting was diverse with dozens of producers and scores of individual wines included, the master class that preceded it was very specific focusing on Brunello. Brunello di Montalcino is itself divided into two categories - Normale and Riserva. Both are aged for a minimum of two years in oak casks of varying size and origin followed by at least four months in bottle for Normale and six months for Riserva.
But those are only the minimum regulations. Producers are given a far broader framework when you consider that Normale is released January 1 of the 5th year following harvest and Riserva one year later.
The master class featured the just released 2015 Brunello (Normale) that represented a range in vintner styles and specific growing areas within the region. Brunello di Montalcino is not meant for early consumption and the extended release dates are intended to take some of that into consideration. But these wines were still very young and only beginning to reveal the rewards of what additional time in bottle could ultimately exhibit.
The most common characteristics were the typical bronze-tinged garnet color, a range of sweet leather and spice accents on the nose, finely grained and structured tannins along with an intricate web of red and black berries with a note of plum in some cases on the palate. In most examples, a sense of elegance was matched with richness, depth and amazing complexity on both palate and finish.
Overall, the discussion and wines served as a great introduction of what was to come in the general tasting that followed. During the tasting we were able to observe the stylistic variants presented by individual vintages back to 2007. The just released 2018 Rosso di Montalcinos were bright with lavish displays of enticing acidity and red fruit components while prior vintages began to display additional depth and complexity.
The Riservas from various vintages, when compared to Normales from the same vintage, were a bit bolder and carried the grape’s potential to even higher levels. The Sant’Antimo wines ranged from Sangiovese based blends to 100 percent Cabernet and provided an interesting counterpoint to the more traditional Brunellos and Rossos. The few whites were extremely enjoyable with most on the lightly sweet side to others in the Vin Santo model that provides just the right “Tuscan touch” to end the meal.
Montalcino has long been a favorite of mine for its wines, cuisine, culture and geographic diversity. And attending Benvenuto Brunello helped bring into focus everything I’ve learned to enjoy and admire about the region. These are truly some of the world’s greatest wines to appreciate in an expansive stylistic range without breaking the bank!