Caparzo La Casa Brunello di Montalcino 2013, Tuscany, Italy 🇮🇹

🍇 Sangiovese Grosso 100%

🧐 Alcohol 13.5%

🍁 My Score 92 Points

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

Classic Sangiovese nose with aromas of red cherries, blackberries, leather, floral, smoky and vanilla notes. On the mouthfeel, medium-full bodied, dry, slightly austere flavours, dusty tannins and lively acidity. The finish is long with flavours of tart cherries, smoky leathery fruit and savoury herbs.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

This Brunello paired beautifully with a pasta dish of eggplants, tomatoes, lamb sausage, goat cheese and fresh basil. The acidity and tannins provide a great foundation for this wine to blossom in your cellar over the next few years. I wish I had another bottle to see this happen myself. Cheers my wine friends 🍷

San Giorgio Ugolforte Brunello Di Montalcino 2006, Docg Tuscany, Italy

 

This wine is made with 100% Sangiovese, with the first year maturation in French oak (50% new and 50% one year old), than a further 24 months in Slovanian oak barrels. Finally, a further 12 months in bottle before being released, with alcohol coming in at 14.1%. 

 

This Brunello opened up with a maturing and complex bouquet of red cherry, plum, soft leather, cedarwood, savoury spices and light floral notes. On the mouthfeel, medium bodied, dry with a silky smooth texture, seductive fruit and gentle wood spices flavours with fine dusty tannins. This wines finish is long and elegant with flavours of sweet and sour fruit flavours, spices and fine tannins prolonging the length and pleasure of this Brunello. Just as gorgeous as their 2005 vintage, if not better, and drinking beautifully now. Score 92 points.

 

Purchased March 2, 2013 LCBO Vintages New Release (212431) at $47.95



Campigli Vallone ‘Terre Nere’ Brunello Di Montalcino 2006, Docg Tuscany, Italy

A superb mature nose on this Brunello, with aromas of field berries, sour cherries, red currants, soft leather and lots of savoury spices. On the mouthfeel, a medium-full bodied wine with alcohol coming in at 14%, excellent fruit-acid balance and silky tannins. The length on this Brunello finish is long, slightly hot with flavours of sweet berry fruit, savoury spices and a nice silky texture. This is a very nice Brunello, which is shows a beautiful maturing, elegant and feminine personality. At this price, strongly recommended. Score 91 points. 

    

Purchased February 16, 2013 LCBO Vintages New Release (208462) at $34.95

Tenute Piccini Brunello Di Montalcino Villa al Cortile 2006, Tuscany, Italy

 

This wine is a bit shy on the nose with aromas of dried fruit, bay leaves, leather, tobacco, smoky, earthy and peppery notes. On the mouthfeel, medium-full bodied with alcohol coming in at 14%, dry, rustic, earthy palate, little fruit, balanced acidity and dusty tannins. Good length on the finish with an underlying earthiness and dry. Coming from the very good 2006 vintage, I was left a little disappointed, the result of too much oak, robbing the fruity character of this vintage. Score 88 points.

Purchased October 27, 2012 at the SAQ in Montréal (11794301) at $28.85

Poggiotondo Brunello Di Montalcino 2006, Docg, Tuscany, Italy

It was strongly recommended to decant this Brunello, which I did for 1 ½ hour. Wow, what exquisite aromatics from this Brunello with aromas of ripe plum, sour cherry, dried violet, cedar, vanilla and slightly earthy and spicy. On the mouthfeel, medium bodied with alcohol at 14%, dry with sour-edged flavours of cherry and plum, spicy with crisp acidity and fine silky tannins. This Sangiovese based wines finish is long with soft seductive fruit, spicy with fine tannin grip lingering. This is a good example why I like Sangiovese so much, it makes a very pleasant food wine. Poggiotondo Brunello Di Montalcino 2006 is a more feminine style of Brunello, very polished and elegant. Strongly recommended, score 92 points.

 

Purchased June 9, 2012 LCBO New Release (276576) at $34.95

Verbena Brunello Di Montalcino 2007, DOCG, Tuscany, Italy

 

Here is a sophisticated, very elegant style of Brunello with gorgeous aromatics. This wine opens up with aromas of cherry, plum, tobacco, exotic spices, violet, cedar wood and earthy notes. On the mouthfeel, full bodied (alcohol coming in at 14%), dry, rich texture, good energy in the mouth, fresh acidity and grainy, chewy tannins. Beautifully robust, complex finish with great flavours, mixing power (tannins) with elegance. Drinking nicely now (after 1 hour in decanter), should age brilliantly over the next 3 to 5 years. This wines strength for me is its aromatics and finish, very enjoyable and strongly recommended, score 92 points

 

Purchased August 18, 2012 LCBO New Release (165126) at $37.95

Col D’Orcia Brunello Di Montalcino 2004, DOCG, Tuscany, Italy

What I like about Brunello’s, are the possibilities of what pleasures lay ahead. The complexity and elegance gained by added time in the bottle (the better ones, would mean ten years plus after the vintage year), everything from the color of the wine, the complex aromatic, the smooth texture and the pure enjoyment of the wine itself. I had the opportunity to enjoy this wine in its youth (late 2009) while leaving in Victoria, BC and I truly enjoyed the wine then. But the added time in bottle didn’t translate into what I had hoped for in a Brunello. 

This wine opens up with aromas of red cherry, blackberry, tobacco, spices and a strong hint of barnyard. On the palate, medium-full bodied (with alcohol coming in at 14%), fresh acidity, well integrated tannins, smooth texture but lacking energy. This Sangiovese finish is medium length with a damp black earth and exotic spices flavours lingering. Definitely not much elegance after almost 8 years after the vintage, I would guess that this Brunello is into a funky stage at the moment and I would hope that it will gain some elegance in the years to come. But at the moment, this is a laying down experience that didn’t pan out. Score 88 points. 

Purchased at the SAQ  August 19, 2010 at $51.25

San Giorgio Ugolforte Brunello Di Montalcino 2005, Tuscany, Italy

This is the essence of finesse and elegance with sensuous aromas of plums, figs, dried berries, sandalwood, soft leather and violets. Silky smooth on the palate, the alcohol is at 14.5% but it's so well integrated into the wine that it is barely noticeable, balanced acidity and fine grained tannins. The finish is long, savoury and so incredibly smooth. What a way to start the new year, a beautiful lighter style of Brunello Di Montalcino. Score 91 points.

This wine was purchased June 11, 2011 LCBO New Release at $48.95.

Caparzo Brunello Di Montalcino 2005, Tuscany, Italy

My first observation I had while pouring this Brunello was the colour, a pale ruby, much lighter than most Brunello. What it lacked in colour it more than made up in aromas. This had a pure Sangiovese nose of  wild ripe berries, sour cherries, baking spices, soft leather and tobacco leaf. The entry is fresh with lively acidity, chalky tannins with sweet and sour notes. This medium bodied wine finish is long, fresh, spicy with sweet and sour notes lingering. Very elegant style, ready to enjoy now or over the next two or three years. This Brunello was paired with slow-cooked, spiced lamb shanks and it worked beautifully. Strongly recommended.

This wine was purchased October 1, 2011 LCBO New Release at $39.95.

Villa Poggio Salvi Brunello di Montalcino 2001, Tuscany, Italy

Ordering a bottle of wine in any restaurant can be a challenge, huge wine lists can make it even more of a daunting task. What about ordering a bottle in a foreign language?  I had a pretty interesting experience ordering a bottle at a restaurant in Rome, Il Tempio di Minerva, no wine list. The waiter brings a couple bottles to the table of his liking, this drove me to walk around the establishment and look at the bottles spread around the restaurant on different shelves. I picked up three of my favourites and brought them back to the table for further consideration. My preference was a Brunello, the two others were a Chianti Classico and another wine which escapes my quickly fading memory. Now we negotiate, (like buying a car) I ask for prices in Euros for each of the wines.  Our server threw up his arms and left in search of a higher authority, perhaps the manager and returned with a price of 90 Euros for the Brunello, too much and I moved on to the other two. After some back on forth, I settled for the Brunello, but at a reduced price of 60 Euros. After some cooling in bucket of ice and water, it was time for our party of three to enjoy this wine.

A lovely brick red colour with aromas of vanilla, church wood, soft leather, sweet spices. The mouthfeel is so smooth with plumy and strawberry fruit, silky tannins and refreshing acidity. And finally, the finish is medium length, elegant and oh so enjoyable. It is always a great pleasure to experience such a beautiful wine that as aged this well.

Fattoi Brunello Di Montalcino 2004, Tuscany, Italy

This wine is definitely a little funky at first, after a few swirls in your glass, it dissipates and what you are left with is complex aromatics; black cherries, earthy, mushroom, leather and savoury spices. Medium to full body, lively acidity with grainy tannins. Long, silky and savoury finish. A more traditional style of Brunello. A lovely wine. Enjoy on March 17, 2011.
Wine was purchased from June 26, 2010 LCBO New Release at $34.95