The hottest releases currently in the wine market easily have to be the long-awaited 2010 Brunellos. It is a vintage many producers describe as “perfect”, a “dream”, and the “vintage of a lifetime.” After frequent rains in spring (which ultimately would assist in feeding the vines for the remainder of the year) pushed back the beginning of veraison a bit, a long and stable summer followed. According to the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino, this allowed “a harmonious development of the phenolic and sugar ripening” and “extremely high levels of total polyphenols, anthocyanins and extract rarely found in” Sangiovese. In short, this created complex wines with wonderful perfumes, solid structure, great balance and the ability to be enjoyed young as well as age. The first of the 2010s to arrive for us here at Sokolin was the Gianni Brunelli, and I didn’t hesitate to take one home!
Gianni was born in Montalcino. When he was young, due to financial hardships of the time, his father opted to sell the family farm and winery at Le Chiuse di Sotto just north of town and the family moved to Sienna. As a young adult, Gianni and his wife Laura founded a successful osteria there using fresh and quality ingredients, but looked to produce their own wine and olive oil. At this point in 1987, much to his mother’s approval, he returned to Montalcino and reclaimed the family’s property. Many of the vines he replanted in 1989, but a small section from his father’s 1947 planting still exists. Believing it is better to create a more complex wine from blending different vineyard sites rather than implementing various techniques in the cellar, Gianni and Laura then purchased another vineyard in to the south in Podernovone. The warmer site at Podernovone provides structure and depth to complement the acidity and bouquet from Le Chiuse di Sotto’s cooler site.
In 2008 Gianni passed away, but his wife Laura continued their passion with the help of famed Tuscan enologist Paolo Vagaggini. Their 2010 Brunello easily lives up to the hype of the vintage and simultaneously stays faithful to Gianni’s vision. With minimal amount of air, black cherry scents jump from the glass, followed by what feels like a blend of braised fennel and torn arugula, and then a perfume of violets and incense. A core of focused juicy fruit attacks the palate, quickly followed by a cascade of iron-rich velvety tannins. Paired with roasted truffle butter chicken and root vegetables, the intensity of the fruit flavors heightened with pomegranate, cranberry, and cassis joining in with the black cherry. I would imagine at this youthful point of the wine’s evolution, the pairing with various foods, from steaks, roasts, game and poultry to heartier and earthier vegetarian dishes, will all bring out extra nuances in the wine.
So for $52.99 I highly suggest grabbing some of this 95-point Brunello and experimenting for yourself. Also ask your sales broker for a current list of other pre-sale 2010 Brunellos as well. Keep in mind, as more reviews and press come out about the stellar wines from this vintage, demand will increase and there will be less and less in the market. 2010 demonstrates yet again why Brunello is undoubtedly one of the best values in world-class wines.