Brunello di Montalcino
Wine from Montalcino was only appreciated and understood by locals as recently as the 70's, even though its warm dry climate has much in common with its famous Tuscan cousin, Chianti. However pioneering work from Clemente Santi with various clones of Sangiovese led to what was labelled Brunello di Montalcino. Changes in strict laws have allowed this region to react better to modern trends, reducing mandatory oak ageing from 4 to 2 years. As with Chianti small amount of foreign grapes can now be including within blends.
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Brunello di Montalcino
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| Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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Tuscany | 1 | 99 (VN) | HK$8,370.00 | |||||
Vinous (99)It’s almost impossible to imagine that the 1985 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva La Storica has just celebrated its thirty-sixth birthday. It displays a brilliant ruby red color and amazing clarity in the glass, with only the slightest bricking around the rim. The bouquet alone is enough to keep you at the edge of your seat, as if opening a cedar treasure box to find dusty rose and sour cherry offset by spiced orange, crushed dried sage and just the slightest hint of animal musk. This is total class, cool-toned and poised, seeming to hover across the palate with an air of red inner florals, as tart woodland berries mix with hints of black tea and lemon oils. There’s a bolt of nervous acidity that keeps the experience remarkably fresh, but also adds a highly attractive sweet and sour note. And finally, while structured and youthful in feel, it finishes completely fresh, vibrant even, with dried currants enlivened by nuances of grapefruit and mint that linger on and on. This is an experience wine in every sense of the word, hailing from a dry and warm harvest yet exemplifying the purity of Sangiovese, as well as its ability to mature for well over three decades. The 1985 La Storica comes directly from the winery’s aging vault, and it was reconditioned with a new cork in 2000. |
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Tuscany | 3 | 96 (VN) | HK$22,385.00 | |||||
Vinous (96)(6 g/l total acidity, 3.35 pH, 27.5 g/l dry extract, 14.5% alcohol): Good bright medium red with an amber rim. Deep, refined aromas of red cherry, strawberry jam, licorice and wet underbrush. Supple, suave, creamy and rich, with a suggestion of white chocolate complementing ripe red fruit flavors. Very soft and silky, but also shows well-integrated acidity and very polished tannins. Most impressive today on the long, scented back end, which exudes a delicate but very persistent flavor of candied small red fruits. Aged for 65 months in large oak casks. This wine was made from a very low yield, and a growing season marked by two deep freezes in spring and a very hot September and October. In fact, the 1985 vintage is one of the few hot years in Montalcino that gave truly memorable wines--unlike, for example, 1997 and 2003. |
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Wine from Montalcino was only appreciated and understood by locals as recently as the 70's, even though its warm dry climate has much in common with its famous Tuscan cousin, Chianti. However pioneering work from Clemente Santi with various clones of Sangiovese led to what was labelled Brunello di Montalcino. Changes in strict laws have allowed this region to react better to modern trends, reducing mandatory oak ageing from 4 to 2 years. As with Chianti small amount of foreign grapes can now be included within blends.
