New Arrival: 97 Point 2010 Brunello - Only $49.95

97 Point 2010 BrunelloAs my colleague Daron blogged about recently, the hottest releases on the market right now are the 2010 Brunellos.  James Suckling was the first to report on the vintage and said “The year 2010 for Brunello di Montalcino is the greatest modern vintage of Italy’s most famous red wine region.”  Antonio Galloni also recently released his report and stated that “Two thousand ten has turned out to be a superb vintage for Brunello di Montalcino”.  Needless to say with all of the hype around the vintage, we’ve been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the 2010 Brunellos, and thankfully they’re just starting to roll in!  The one that caught my eye was one of the better price-points from the vintage: 2010 La Serena Brunello – rated 97 points by James Suckling and only $49.95/btl. As soon as it checked in, I grabbed a bottle and thought it would be perfect to try out.

The La Serena estate is owned by the Mantengoli family since the 1930s, but they didn’t start making wine until 1988. The two brothers Andrea and Marcello grew the farm from 2.4 acres to 21.6 acres with about 14.4 of those under vine and dedicated to Sangiovese for Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino.  The winery is located in the northeast corner of Montalcino and has similar soils to the famed Montosoli Cru. The vineyards are planted at 350 meters above sea level, so they benefit from longer ripening periods, and have slighter higher acidity than their lower altitude counterparts. Also, the soil is slightly less compact, so the wines have great structure, but are somewhat more approachable in their youth than their neighbors.

We opened the bottle early Saturday night because I knew the wine would need some time in the decanter. As soon as we pulled the cork we knew we were going to be in for something special.  On the nose was stewed stone fruit, black pepper, leather and spice box which lead to a full-bodied, lush wine.  There is tannin to shed, and it needs a few years, but you can tell this vintage is the real deal.  (On a side note I did leave a little in the decanter to try the next day, and it was still going strong!) Also, I would agree with Daron that if you pair these wines with heartier dishes, it’ll definitely increase the nuances and drinkability of the wine. We paired ours with coq au vin, and it was divine!

Hopefully many of you are starting to scoop up several of these new releases because you’ll be extremely happy you did when you’re dinking them. I also urge you to buy them as soon as they’re released because these wines are rarely available a year or two down the road.  Also, if you get in early you’ll be sure to lock in at the lowest price.