January
19, 2007
Part
I: Brunello di Montalcino
In This Issue
A Note
from Sergio
The beauty of Brunello is in its astounding diversity—in
Montalcino, the varietal grows in 24 distinct microclimates—as
well its ageability. The selection I'm offering today is indicative
of both of those qualities. These bottles are all extremely
different, but they do have one thing in common: You can drink
them tomorrow or in 10 years, and either way, you'll enjoy
a great wine.
My best,
Sergio Esposito
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Altesino:
Finesse & Structure
At the center of the Altesino estate rises the 14th-century
Palazzo Altesi, a visual testament to the estate's prominence.
While many producers have compromised Montalcino's identity
by employing imprudent modernization, Altesino has pursued
the integration of techniques and philosophies that have enhanced
the zone's production. In 1979, Altesino became one of the
first to age its wines in French barrique, a medium
that significantly modified oak's influence, allowing the
wine to exhibit a more prominent fruit character. It also
introduced the concept of cru (a single-vineyard
wine) through its Montosoli Brunello, which remains the estate's
most lauded offering and one of the region's standard bearers.
Altesino further conveyed its role as innovator by crafting
IGT bottlings that included the use of international varietals.
In 2002, Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini, owner of the well-known
Tenuta Caparzo, purchased Altesino from the Tricerchi family.
The estate comprises approximately 64 hectares, 27 of which
are dedicated to vines and divided into three vineyards—Altesino,
La Velona, and Montosoli.
The Altesino Brunello normale is sourced from
the aforementioned vineyards comprising the estate and is
aged for a period of three and a half years in Slovenian oak.
It exhibits the classic Sangiovese cherry flavor, unmasked
by oak, rendering it a wine of true finesse; the wines of
Altesino, in fact, are particularly noted for their elegance.
The Montosoli cru bottling is darker and more tannic
than the normale, yet is noted for the quintessential dynamic
it achieves between demonstrative power and grace. The perfumed
bouquet offers floral aromas infused with vanilla spice; the
palate is concentrated, delivering an abundance of forest
fruits and balanced acidity and tannin.
Altesino
2001 Brunello di Montalcino 'Montosoli' $79.95
Altesino
2001 Brunello di Montalcino $49.95
La Torre's
Studied Expression
Owner/winemaker Luigi AnanÌa purchased the estate in
1977, debuting the label with the 1982 vintage. As AnanÌa
wrote a thesis on the differing qualitative levels achieved
by various Brunello vineyards, it is appropriate that he determines
the structure and aging of each vintage by working with vineyards
of different ages. AnanÌa is particularly interested
in fully articulating the character of the Brunellos associated
with the southern portion of the Montalcino zone, realizing
wines that are fairly full in body. However, this stylistic
direction hardly provides a complete rendering of the wine's
character. The wines are noted for being harmonious and marked
by a fresh quality that derives from the altitude at which
the estate lies. AnanÌa regards his vinification methodology
as 'traditional but not conservative,' an orientation that
is imparted primarily through his limited use of small cask
aging and privileging of Slovenian cask maturation.
The vineyards currently comprise seven hectares, which are
planted exclusively to Sangiovese Grosso. La Torre's Brunello
is aged in large barrels for a period of three years; derived
from La Torre's oldest vines, it is bottled without filtration.
La
Torre 2001 Brunello di Montalcino $68.58
La Rasina's
Modern Style
Founded by Santi Mantengoli in the early 1970s, La Rasina
developed a quality orientation to the crafting of wine under
the direction of Santi's son, Vasco, debuting its first Brunello
with the 1988 vintage. A decade thereafter, Vasco's son, Marco,
assumed leadership, introducing modern vinification techniques
in conjunction with winemaker Paolo Cacirogna.
La Rasina's Brunello represents the most modern-oriented (i.e.,
possesses high alcohol and a significant degree of extraction)
of our offerings, a profile that is largely the evocation
of producer style as opposed to an expression of a microclimate
working in cooperation with a particular winemaking approach.
While intense on both the nose and palate, the wine's structure
amply accommodates the profusion of black fruits, spices,
and licorice. Last year, La Rasina debuted Il Divasco,
a bottling derived from the property's oldest vines. Though
unctuous in character, the wine's structure carries both the
fruit and alcohol with a deftness that makes this wine both
brilliant and seductive.
La
Rasina 2001 Brunello di Montalcino $61.60
Canalicchio
di Sopra: Evoking Montalcino's Aromatics
Brunello's evocation of place has been obscured by productions
that are disturbingly out of touch with Montalcino terroir,
privileging a style that is more about a grasp of international
appeal than regional expression. Founded in the sixties by
Primo Pacenti, Canalicchio di Sopra [can-a-lee-KE-o] represented
a substantive risk, as Pacenti, a peasant farmer up until
the abolition of the sharecropping system, possessed little
in the way of security.
Canalicchio di Sopra remains family-owned, and Pacenti has
demonstrated remarkable talent in responding to and validating
both technical and philosophical viticultural changes without
unduly sacrificing the traditional concept of a Brunello.
In fact, the Brunellos of the estate largely reflect the wine's
historical paradigm, a character derived, in part, through
cask aging. Also, as Canalicchio lies at a high altitude and
receives limited exposure to the Mediterranean influence of
Montalcino—hallmarks of the area's northern zone—the
wines display the northern zone's perfumed aromatics.
The Canalicchio di Sopra delivers rich cherry fruit interspersed
with layered notes of smoke, minerals, and earth; the firm
tannins work well with this profile, rendering it eminently
drinkable now, yet poised to truly come into its own with
a few years of cellar age.
Canalicchio
di Sopra 2001 Brunello di Montalcino $59.95
Tenuta
La Fuga: Muscle in Montalcino's Southwest
Towards the end of the year 2000, the Folonari family reorganized
its structure, establishing new brand arrangements within
the context of two principal divisions. Tenuta La Fuga is
one of ten estates within Tenute Ambrogio Folonari,
one of the two primary groupings established during the redistribution
period. Folonari maintains operations throughout Toscana,
representing many of the region's primary zones, as well as
those that are acquiring prominence (ex. Maremma).
While situated southwest of Montalcino, La Fuga, which lies
at an elevation of 1,200 feet, is grouped with the estates
of the northern zone for the purposes of characterizing its
climatic orientation and the style associated with the elements
of this designated terroir. In general, therefore, the wines
are marked by finesse and a delineated structure.
Twenty-five of the estate's 75 acres are planted to vines
and collectively represent the zone's primary classifications—Brunello
di Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino, and IGT Toscana. The Riserva
bottling—Le Due Sorelle—is crafted only
in vintages that inherently support the crafting of such premium
cuvées. The regular Brunello is aged exclusively
in Slovenian casks for a period of 36 months, followed by
an additional year of bottle age prior to release. The nose
offers pronounced cherry, spice, and tobacco aromas that receive
further expression on the focused palate, marked by firm tannins.
Tenuta
La Fuga 2001 Brunello di Montalcino $59.95
Caprili:
Value in Traditional Montalcino
The Caprili winery has been family-owned since its inception
in 1965, maintaining its commitment to small-scale, artisanal
production. Founded by Alfo Bartolommei, Caprili is now under
the direction of Bartolommei's children, Paolo, Manuele, and
Paola. Situated in the southwestern area of Montalcino—within
proximity to the renowned estates of Soldera and Santa Restituta—Caprili
comprises 12.5 hectares, 11.5 of which are planted to Sangiovese
Grosso. The remainder features three white grapes—Trebbiano,
Malvasia, and Moscadello. The first two are provided for under
the Sant'Antimo DOC, while the third is covered by the Brunello
designation.
Caprili's viticultural protocol privileges low yields and
careful direction of all phases of the production process;
the maceration period of four weeks is captured in the wine's
purple reflections. Full in body, this wine delivers vibrant
aromas and flavors of blackberry, licorice, and spice within
a finely delineated structure. According to the estate, recent
vintages of Caprili are best experienced following a five-
to six-hour period of aeration; a decanter should be employed
in the case of older vintages throughout the designated timeframe.
Caprili
2001 Brunello di Montalcino $39.99
Caparzo:
A Legend at a Fraction
The name Caparzo derives from
‘Ca' del
Pazzo', a
term which featured on ancient maps. Founded in
the late 1960s, the estate's
vineyard land has evolved to comprise 85 hectares
in Montalcino and 4 hectares
in Buonconvento. The latter is planted to
Trebbiano and Chardonnay, while the
four Montalcino vineyards—La Casa, La
Caduta, Il Cassero, and San
Piero-Caselle—collectively feature
Sangiovese Grosso, Cabernet Sauvignon,
Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Traminer, Sangiovese
Sant'Antimo, and Moscadello.
In addition to the traditional range of Montalcino
wines, the Caparzo portfolio
includes blends featuring both indigenous and
international grapes and single-varietal
wines. Of particular interest is the estate's
namesake bottling—Ca' del
Pazzo—a blend of Sangiovese Grosso
and
Cabernet Sauvignon that is
aged in barrique for 24 months. In 1999,
Caparzo
debuted Ca' del Pazzo Cult, a
higher end version of the Pazzo that introduces
Syrah into the original composition.
Caparzo's flagship bottling is the
single-vineyard La Casa Brunello
di Montalcino. Situated on the Montosoli hill, La
Casa is noted for producing
wines of formidable structure and significant
aging potential. Caparzo's normale
Brunello
is matured in both French and Slovenian barrels
for the requisite 36-month
period, followed by one year of bottle maturation
prior to release.
Caparzo 1998 Brunello di Montalcino 'La Casa' $88.00
Caparzo 2001 Brunello di Montalcino $39.95
2001
Brunello Six-Pack
The previews are over, and we are ready to present
our debut offering of the
2001 Brunellos. Though we offered a futures
selection of '01s last year
coupled with Sergio's preliminary assessment of
the vintage, now we're
in real time and eager to deliver the first of a
two-part series dedicated
to "the little dark one's" brilliant showings.
In past editions of our e-Letter, Sergio has
delineated the nuances defining
the geographic microclimates of Montalcino and
their respective translations
in the glass. This articulate and fascinating
breakdown is best experienced
when tasting through a selection of the wines,
ideally accompanied by IWM's
regional map of Brunello. Provide
your palate with
a consummate education in
Brunello, as you experience both classic and
modern interpretations of Brunello
and refine your ability to identify the signatures
of individual zones in the
region.
2001 Brunello Arrivals Six-Pack Includes:
Altesino 2001 Brunello di Montalcino
La Rasina 2001 Brunello di Montalcino
Canalicchio di Sopra 2001 Brunello
Tenuta La Fuga 2001 Brunello di Montalcino
Caprili 2001 Brunello di Montalcino
Caparzo 2001 Brunello di Montalcino
11x17 IWM Regional Map of Montalcino
2001 Brunello di Montalcino Arrivals Six-Pack $311.39
2001 Brunello di Montalcino Arrivals Tasting Case $579.36
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