BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2014

De Brunello's di Montalcino 2014 hebben een onverwacht gunstige score.  

James Suckling: 

Niemand had ooit gedacht dat 2014 een uitstekend jaar zou worden voor Brunello di Montalcino. Het regende te veel tijdens de oogst. Toch werden enkele uitstekende wijnen gemaakt als belangrijke producenten die hun wijngaarden verfijnden, meedogenloos waren in hun selectie van druiven tijdens de oogst en ook van de wijnen die ze uiteindelijk gebotteld hebben.

Mijn aanbeveling is om de frisheid van deze wijnen te vangen. Leg ze niet neer. Drink ze de komende vier tot zes jaar.

"We moesten echt een strenge selectie maken in 2014, dus we verkochten de helft van de productie in bulk", zegt Carlo Ferrini, de befaamde consulting enoloog die ook eigenaar is van een kleine Montalcino wijnmakerij met vijf hectare wijngaarden.

Sommigen van u kunnen worden verrast door de relatief lichte kleuren van sommige 2014 Brunellos. Het moet te wijten zijn aan het vocht in de druiven van het natte weer, waardoor de kwaliteit van het fruit in gevaar komt. Veel wijnen leken hierdoor aan integriteit te verliezen. Van de 135 Brunellos 2014 die we hebben geproefd, scoorde er geen boven de 94 punten. 

Hieronder volgen van een aantal wijnen de scores van James Suckling en Robert Parker - Brunello di Montalcino 2014

Fuligni

JS - 93/100 punten

Some smoky notes with savory and sanguine aromas, as well as deeply spicy red cherries. The palate delivers an impressively concentrated core of red-cherry and red-plum flavor. The tannins are succulent and the depth is good for this vintage. Drink or hold.

RP - 92+/100 punten

The Fuligni 2014 Brunello di Montalcino is a beautiful wine. To my mind, it represents one of the best interpretations you will find from this difficult vintage that caused so much unease. The Fuligni family shows a deft hand, resulting in a wine that offers more balance, intensity and depth than a good majority of its peers. It opens to a compact and streamlined style, but it follows through with an articulate set of aromas including cassis, red rose, camphor ash and aniseed. The mouthfeel is thin in texture but lengthy in flavor and freshness. This is a very traditional expression of Sangiovese in heart and soul.

Casanova di Neri:

JS - 92/100 punten

Wild red fruit and orange zest with cedar and wild herbs. The cherries here are fresh and lively and the tannins cut a sturdy, even frame around impressively long, fresh flavors. The only Brunello made here in 2014; there are no single vineyard bottlings. Drink or hold.

Casanova di Neri heeft geen Tenuta Nuova Brunello 2014 gemaakt.

RP - 92/100 punten

This is the white label Brunello from Giacomo Neri and his son Giovanni. The 2014 Brunello di Montalcino is faithful to the vintage with a compact and streamlined style that suggests a near or medium-term drinking window. In general, I am hesitant to recommend this vintage for any significant cellar aging, and one reason is because these wines perform nicely straight out of the gate. The same goes for this relatively easy expression that is redolent of wild berry, rose hip, blue flower and moist potting soil. Because the Brunelli Tenuta Nuova and Cerretalto were not made in this vintage, this wine represents a blend of fruit from across the estate. This is the first time this has happened at Casanova di Neri.

Renieri:

JS - 92/100 punten

Some redcurrant aromas, as well as a leafy and brambly thread with fresh herbs. The palate has approachable, juicy red berries, framed in rather light tannins. Drink now.

RP - 89/100 punten

The 2014 Brunello di Montalcino is definitely thinner and less impactful compared to previous vintages. The fruit tastes thin and the wine's persistence is short to medium in length. But like the other wines from this vintage that share these similar characteristics, this Brunello is well poised for immediate, near-term drinking. In fact, the price point is reasonable considering the vintage. You get wild berry, dried cherry and tangy spice.

Uccelliera:

JS - 92/100 punten

Dry-wood and floral aromas with a wealth of red cherries. On the palate there’s a smooth array of bright red berries, delivered on nutty, supple and even-paced tannins. Drink in the next five years.

RP - 93/100 punten

The Uccelliera 2014 Brunello di Montalcino exhibits the elegant and delicate side of this mighty Tuscan appellation. This vintage is characterized by mid-weight wines that are thinner in structure and less impactful in terms of overall intensity. However, there is a good argument to make that this softer approach is especially well-suited to a wine like Brunello that is never shy in terms of power. The vintage conditions in 2014 hold the wine back just a tad, and that restraint is welcome. From one of my absolute favorite Brunello producers, this wine is elegant and fine with bright fruit tones followed by sour cherry, licorice and dried rose bud.

Mastrojanni:

JS - 91/100 punten

Pretty floral and berry aromas with hints of licorice follow through to a medium body, fine, soft tannins and a succulent finish. Lovely wine now.

RP - 91/100 punten

Mastrojanni's 2014 Brunello di Montalcino (with 39,000 bottles made) opens to a dark garnet color with some amber-crimson hues at the edges. The wine presents a lovely velvety texture that is smooth and silky to the end. The folks at Mastrojanni were forced to make a huge sacrifice in this difficult vintage and they ended up dropping one-third of the fruit. They saved the very best to make Brunello in 2014. Because the cru selections were not produced, fruit from the Vigna Schiena d'Asino and the Vigna Loreto ended up here instead. The wine shows bright aromatic intensity with wild berry, moist earth and grilled herb, but the mouthfeel is compact and streamlined. I reco