2003 Brunellos

2003 Brunello Tasting Notes

Nearly 45 winemakers belonging to the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino previewed their four-star rated vintage for members of the trade and press at Gotham Hall in New York on Jan 29th ,2008. The 2003 vintage , as is well known, was scorching all over Europe but the hillside vineyards of Montalcino were able to compensate with cooler evening temperatures, particularly if the vineyards were over 2500 feet above sea level.

I managed to taste nearly 30 of the 45 or so wines at the tasting . A handful of wines showed surprising freshness and , while showing intense fruit, never came close to being jammy as I was expecting at the outset. But several lacked cohesiveness and will never be “complete” wines no matter how long you age them. Who rated this vintage 4*? Some wines were just fruit bombs and totally unrecognizable as anything out of Tuscany, let alone Brunello. Yet, five wines impressed me very much while some others ranged from well made to above average but many more were dull and even raisiny. These five wines (4*) I can recommend wholeheartedly as exceptional for the vintage. In looking back it is not surprising that 4 of the 5 wines that I liked best were located north of the town of Montalcino and at high altitudes, where somewhat cooler temperatures prevailed. Either that or they just had been tempered quite nicely and legally under appellation rules with either juice from the 2004 vintage or the diluted 2002 vintage . More likely the latter. In any case these are five wines I would gladly add to my cellar . Others that I also liked (but not reviewed here) were Sesti, Pinino and Il Maronetto (3*)

La Serena: One of the better 03 brunello, showing character in spite of the huge alcohol. Surprisingly restrained and deliciously dry aftertaste. Coming from a cool northern zone , albeit at lower altitude, it appeared to benefit from slower ripening. Fresh and nicely structured.

Gianni Brunelli: The 03 is atypically light on its feet which is a plus in this vintage. Nicely shaped wine with good definition and, unusually for an 03 wine , aromatically pitched. I liked this quite a bit.

Cupano: The 03 Cupano was my second favorite. Unfortunately my notes are illegible other than the phrase “ slightly modern but restrained” but I have 4* next to it.

Capanna: Also 4* (out of 5*) this was my favorite of the 03's at the tasting. Unlike all the others this was less about intensity of fruit and more about balance and style. Acids and dry tannins nicely frame the fruit. Clean rather than hot finish. The 2001 tasted several months prior was similarly impressive.

Nardi: A touch more advanced than the other specimens at the tasting. Yet there was a lot to like about the cool and brambly fruit. Also liked its restraint very much and this wine is very likely to gain in complexity and transcend the intense dry raisin character.