As I promised in my previous blog, I was going to continue with the Brunello theme. Last blog I gave you a bit of history regarding this wine and how it was produced. In order to have an even better understanding, it will help to visualize the area.
I realize this isn't the best map but it was the best I could do and it will help illustrate the various points I have to make. The map is in 9 quadrants. If we number them 1-9 starting with the upper left and then moving right, the middle quadrant will be quadrant 5. It is in the north-eastern corner of this quadrant where we find Biondi-Santi and Brunello's ground zero (Number 178 if you can read it).
Some boring numbers. In 1966, when Brunello became a DOC, there were 76.53 hectares planted. In 1968 the number actually fell to 56.24 hectares and was up to 74.84 hectares in 1970. By 1971 the numbers reached 156.50 hectares. Let's put that into some numbers that make more sense. In 1975, 800,000 bottles were produced by 25 estates. In 1979, they were up to 1.5 million bottles produced by 40 estates and the 1995 vintage registered 3.5 million bottles produced by 120 estates. The last figures I have (2007) show 197 estates producing Brunello. I was unable to find the current bottle production stats or hectares under vine but I can tell you that Banfi alone produces 600,000 bottles a year of their basic Brunello. What these numbers show us is the incredible growth in this area in the last 30 years.
But at what cost?
Ferruccio Biondi-Santi's Brunello was aged 4 years in large Slovenian oak casks then 2 or 3 years in the bottle. With all these new producers starting up, they decided to change the aging requirements to help them out. So in 1980, when Brunello became the first DOCG in Italy, the aging requirements changed from 4 years in oak to 3 1/2. The bottle aging remained. Today's DOCG aging rules for Brunello are minimum 2 years (3 years for Riserva) in oak of any type or size, followed by a minimum 4 months (6 months for Riserva) of bottle aging. The wine cannot be sold until January 1st, 5 years following harvest (6 years for Riserva). So right now you can purchase 2004 Brunellos. You'll have to wait until January 2010 for the 2004 Riservas.
With the increasing amount of Brunello plantings, the growing area got progressively larger. The areas in quadrants 8 & 9 are much warmer areas than that of quadrant 5 and the wines produced there have little in common with the original. Wines from the southern areas typically have lower acidity and higher alcohol and colour concentration. This combination does not make for long aging potential. Also, the newer and larger estates use meccanized equipment for harvesting. However there are still many estates that still do everything by hand.
In the aging requirements I mentioned oak of any type and size. Traditionally Brunello was aged in large Slovenian oak (pictured left), not small French oak barriques. A barrique holds 225 litres or 300 bottles and is the most common used barrel in winemaking (below right). The reason for the large Slovenian oak cask is that Sangiovese doesn't need all the characteristics that the smaller barrique imparts into the wine. In fact, it can be a hinderance to the wine. That said however, in those warmer southern areas mentioned above, the barrique can be beneficial. It can help balance out what the grape is lacking naturally.
So what does all of this mean to you the wine consumer? When you go into a wine shop and ask for a Brunello, you may be asked if you prefer a traditional style or modern style wine. Traditional is aged in the large Slovenian oak and modern in barrique. Ultimately, both are quality wines it's just a matter of what you prefer. There is an unfortunate trend upon us right now to homogenize wines. What I mean by this is that many wines are starting to taste the same. It's becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate between Old World and New World wines. The marketplace has a preference for easier drinking, fruit forward wines and that is what's being produced. Nothing wrong with it but I'm just scared that we will start losing individuality in wine. I want to taste the difference in my wines. I like that Sangiovese from Tuscany tastes different than something from California.
So what are some Brunello producers to look for. A quick check of the BC Liquor Store website shows many quality producers available. It just comes down to price. Altesino, Angelini Val Di Suga, Donatella Cinelli Colombini, Poggio Antico, Silvio Nardi are all good. Not to mention the Banfi, Antinori and Frescobaldi offerings. If you happen into a good wine shop such as Marquis Wine Cellar or Everything Wine in North Van, ask about Brunellos by Tiezzi, Sesti and Argiano. Tiezzi's vineyards are located right outside the walls of the town of Montalcino (number 50 on the map) and are made in a traditional style. Sesti and Argiano are further south (numbers 89 and 23 respectively, quadrant 7). Sesti is very small compared with Argiano which is owned by the same family that owns Campari. If you want to drink the wine wine now, I would buy the oldest vintage you can find. 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2003 were all excellent years but not as outstanding as 1995, 1997 and 2004. The better the vintage the higher the price. 2002 was considered fair and 2000 slightly better. Those vintages should cost considerably less.
If you want to try a wine from this area but don't want to spend the money on a Brunello, try a Rosso di Montalcino. Most Brunello producers make a Rosso which is the same grape varietal as Brunello but isn't aged as long. This DOC wine was created to help producers get a quicker return on their investments while waiting for their Brunellos to age. A really good value for the money.
Now go out and drink some Brunello and impress your friends will all your new-found knowledge.
