2015 Brunello di Montalcino – A Tuscan Triumph
As each week passes, it’s hard to avoid the hype and noise around 2015 Brunello. There have been some really good vintages in the last few years like 2007 and 2010, but there is a strong feeling that 2015 trumps them all – and from our early tastings it is easy to understand the excitement.
‘Ask anyone who farmed Sangiovese that year. They will tell you: Fruit has never been more beautiful than it was in the picture-perfect 2015 vintage.’
Monica Larner – Wine Advocate
There seems to be no shortage of producers who think they have witnessed a once in a lifetime harvest and a multitude of impressive scores illustrates a similar feeling amongst the journalists.
For our own part, we are delighted to represent here in the UK, three great estates in Montalcino. And with their 2015’s they have excelled themselves yet again; with both Fuligni and Giodo receiving perfect scores of 100 points from James Suckling and Marcello Bucci at Collemattoni making fabulous wine too in 2015.
‘Depth of fruit and endless length.’
James Suckling –jamessuckling.com
In 2015 it wasn’t immediately obvious the vintage would turn out as it did. There was plenty of groundwater from a wet and cold winter, but flowering in the Spring was erratic due to humidity and July bought a lot of heat. At best you were looking at very good wines with great extraction and fruit, but August brought some rain and September a lot of cool evenings that produced an acidity that focused on the fruit, but without the density of 2007 and 2010. The result are some beautifully crafted wines with fine tannins and remarkable vivacity. It is the pinpoint balance that is so astounding. The best 2015 Brunellos have lots of everything; weight of fruit, great drive and measured power and with extraordinary lift.
As Roberto Fuligni himself says: “The words for the 2015 vintage are density, tannins and freshness. The wines are rich, yet they are fresh at the same time. It is a great year’’.
We have been astounded at the immediate pleasure we have found with these 2015s. Sampling them has been a real delight and they are already hard to resist! However, the depth of flavour, the beautifully fine frame and perfectly polished tannins are in such abundance and such great balance that these are wines that will age for decades – but there is no need to wait! As the Wine Advocate’s Monica Larner notes: “Bottles from the versatile 2015 vintage can go into your cellar for safekeeping or onto your dinner table for near- to medium-term consumption. The choice is yours, and that’s one of the top selling points of 2015.”
On this evidence, it’s clear that we have something really quite special. When compared to all the other B’s (Bordeaux, Barolo, Bolgheri & Burgundy) Brunello pricing has been less affected by speculation and therefore still represents a very good buy.
It is also worth mentioning that an early assessment of the 2016 vintage has hinted at great potential too, with winemakers equally excited about these future releases. This could be the chance to get involved in the first of two wonderful back to back vintages, much the same as Bordeaux in these years. That would make for a very fun tasting in the years to come!