Benvenuto Brunello 2020 had been the last enoic event in attendance before the pandemic and Welcome Brunello 2021 in this November edition marks a sort of restart: in fact, many industry insiders, journalists and bloggers gathered in Montalcino for this 30th edition in the splendid Cloister fourteenth century of St. Augustine.
The new format of this true Preview allows the tastings to be planned staggered over ten days, allowing industry professionals to taste the wines while sitting safely, thanks in part to the excellent service of AIS Toscana sommeliers.
Missing, this is true, is the emotional and often more colorful and less institutional part of the event, that is, direct contact with producers, but those who were able to arranged ad hoc visits to wineries.
For the uninitiated, we remind you that the "Brunello di Montalcino" is obtained from grapes of Sangiovese and that release takes place on January I of the fifth year after the harvest. During this period, the wine must spend at least two years in wooden barrels and at least four months aging in the bottle. The period of bottle aging increases to six months for the riserva, which goes on the market one year later.
The "Rosso di Montalcino" DOC demonstrates the versatility of the Montalcino area, which, with the same Sangiovese grape variety, is also able to produce a wine suitable for drinking younger. In fact, Rosso di Montalcino can go on the market from September 1 following the harvest.
Coming to the protagonists of the event, let us not forget that the 2017 vintage was characterized by a frost in mid-April and a hot and dry summer, stress factors that in general, however, seem not to have affected the quality of the wines: on the contrary, Montalcino producers did an excellent job both in the vineyard and in the cellar, and as in all difficult vintages, those who managed to bring the best grapes to the cellar obtained wines with good balance.
The wines in the tasting were. the Brunello 2017, the Brunello 2017 Vigna, the Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, the Rosso di Montalcino 2019 and 2020 (many absences among the former and delayed exits for the latter) and Moscadello di Montalcino (the world famous dessert wine centuries before Brunello and which is produced in 3 different variants: Frizzante, Tranquillo and Vendemmia Tardiva).
The Rosso di Montalcino 2020s present themselves as immediately enjoyable wines with a beautiful structure endowed with particular vivacity and freshness.
The 2017 Brunellos smell of red fruits, of Mediterranean herbs, have a slender structural profile, and although on the palate they have a sometimes important alcoholic perception and still perceptible tannins they are, with a few exceptions, quite balanced and denote a certain savoriness and also a nice a freshness and therefore an unexpected ease of drinking.
Many Vineyard Selections are offered, the selection of "cru" that enhance the appellation and the perceived value of Brunello also internationally, which have also achieved excellent results.
The 2016 Reserves are wines of great elegance and finesse, characterized by a beautiful tannic texture with a truly fascinating mouthfeel: wines these with great potential for longevity.
The Benvenuto Brunello is organized by the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino established in 1967, in the aftermath of D.O.C. recognition, and currently has more than 200 member producers.
The Montalcino formula continues to be successful because the wineries are quite united around the Consortium, which continues to do great work for the entire denomination: relaunching international promotion, particularly in the U.S. with the Benvenuto Brunello in New York on the last weekend of next February, while the 31st edition in Montalcino will start on November 11, 2022.
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