The idea of this tasting came out of the blue, really. A good friend had kept several sets of assorted Brunello di Montalcino wines from the much praised vintage 1997. Having done at least one such tasting in the past shortly after the release of the wines, the idea is really to revisit this wines now that it's past ten years after the vintage.
Not one who would let good wines left untasted, I seized the opportunity to quickly gather appreciative wine lovers at Artisan Cellars showroom to look at how the wines taste now. Eleven different wines to be exact. It is, after all, a good chance to test-drive our tasting room for a first full-on sit-down tasting.
There has been many mixed reviews and impressions for the 1997 vintage in Tuscany, and these differing opinions are further accentuated when the wines of Brunello di Montalcino are considered. After all, the wines of Brunello are considered the crown jewel of Tuscany, its reputation having been firmly placed in the world as one of the greatest wines from Italy. Successful branding does not hurt either, no less thanks to Banfi, a persistent and formidable marketing force who helped put the wines of Brunello di Montalcino on the global map, particularly in the United States who now accounts for a third of Brunello exports.
My impression of Brunello's wines had been mixed. I have encountered both ends of the spectrum, from the very ripe, darkly coloured juice made in modern style, to the gentler understated paler red version. While many can be quite impressive, only quite few are exquisite or are truly representative of the terroir. I know tonight we were going to taste both examples with many shades in between.
We divided the wines into two flights. Flight 1 is served by six wines, followed by Flight 2 with the remaining five wines. And as predicted, the impressions I got were a mixed bag with no specific decipherable formula.
1997 Campogiovanni BdM came straight out as rather overripe, veering towards jammy plum, dark spices and espresso. This wine was visibly tired although some may find its sweet plummy fruits and soft tannins attractive. Though still not dead, to me this just lacked energy and past its prime (85 points). I'm sure it was better several years back. Moving on to 1997 Caparzo BdM "La Casa", I found a different symptom of a heavily extracted wine that missed its balance. This lacked any particular flavours and sweetness, tasting dry and funky. Some questioned whether this was corked but it's more like it's oxidised in my view. Hard to tell whether this was any good before, how sad... (NOT RATED). The next glass of 1997 Fuligni BdM broke the spell of the funky bottles fortunately. Mineral-laced raspberries and subtle hints of brown spices on the nose, this showed its Italian roots proudly. Sound acidity gave this wine verve and charm. Not particularly concentrated but this wine has gentle yet persistent sweetness. A lovely, well made wine (90 points).
Unfortunately fate took another unfavourable turn as we moved to 1997 Poggio Antico BdM. Although not quite as way-off as the Caparzo, this displayed the overripe, stewed fruits character on the nose inauspiciously followed by a flavourless dried out palate. What can I say? (NOT RATED). The 1997 Antinori BdM "Pian delle Vigne" was quite impressive and varietally correct on the nose. Lovely redcurrants complicated by hints of spices, it was ripe but not overripe with a neat flavour profile. So neat, it was almost too correct for me. Despite the polish, this wine lacked midpalate which progressively became more obvious with airing. Finishes a little short but nonetheless a well made modern-styled Brunello that hasn't lost its Italian roots (89 points). And, as chance would have it, the 1997 Due Portine-Gorelli BdM stole the show for me and played as a gracious finish to the first flight. Delicate and painfully detailed, this was a wine of finesse and stature. Sweet red raspberries bathed in minerals and a gorgeous red garnet colour with lovely luminosity testament to the healthy acid spine of this wine. I liked this very much and more so as it sat in the glass and gracefully evolved to reveal its multilayered nuances (92 points).
Before I started engaging my first glass, the crowd had already started to "ooh..." and "aah..." on the wines of the second flight. I could see why. This was a stronger flight indeed, in fact, even if the first flight were not so variable. 1997 Pertimali (Livio Sassetti) BdM is honest to goodness. Intense and powerful, this was, however, not a modern interpretation of Brunello. Good purity and depth with deeply pitched dark fruits and a smorgasbord of scorched earth, smoke and dark chocolate. A gutsy yet understated wine that was ever changing in the glass. Superb energy too. I like! (93 points). The 1997 Siro Pacenti BdM was definitely cut from a different cloth. The approach on this wine was decidedly modern but I must say, quite successfully done. A very dense wine, right from the beginning as one sees the colour, with a wide array of spices that complicated the super ripe (though not overripe) black fruits. This wine was actually sweet - I tend to find strongly extracted wines to lack sweetness - and I was rather impressed. An overachiever of this category given the approach they took on for this already very warm vintage (92 points). Strong reduction clouded the 1997 Tornesi BdM at first. With vigorous swirling, this very well endowed and concentrated wine opened up to reveal dark berries and currants, as well as smoky, ashy overtones. This was a brooding monster, a powerhouse in the making. Lacks the delicacy and details the best Brunellos should offer, but a darn impressive showing nonetheless (92 points).
Some wine writers likened Brunello wines to Burgundy, an association that, frankly, I don't quite get as much as, say, how closely an aged Barolo can taste like Burgundies. But the first thing I thought of when I nosed the 1997 Costanti BdM was Chambolle-Musigny. I suppose they're right after all, although I maintain that this similarity was more of an exception than the norm. Pure crushed candied raspberries on the nose, very pristine and disarming, this wine was pure elegance. The red fruits on the nose carried through the palate, streaming intensely sweet flavours which, like good burgundies, seem to float on your palate. Complicating mineral notes of iron and wet soil. Persistent and understated, this wine was definitely classy (94 points). After such a ravishing performance, I wonder what the last wine might bring. This was once noted as the most memorable 1997 Brunellos some of our friends at the table recounted, and so the anticipation was high. The 1997 Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona BdM "Vigna di Pianrosso" was no doubt impressive. A wine of concentration and elegance, this started out slightly off-track with gritty, less polished tannins at first. Very deeply coloured and large-framed, this had the backbone, the flesh and the muscles. An imposing modern wine that was impeccably made. Lots of chocolates and espresso but also fresh plums infused with deft mineral tones. This put on more polish on its tannins as well as a little more freshness as it sat longer in the glass. My only qualm was that I had hoped it carried more energy, and I sadly suspect that we caught it just slightly past its best, at least for this bottle... (92 points)
Due to the famously hot 1997 vintage, there were no green wines tonight. However, what I found a little worrisome was that such heat-stressed year had adversely affected the level of acidity. Some wines fell prey to this feature tonight, and when insufficient raw materials are treated with high-extraction techniques, the fruits (or whatever that's left of it) collapse. It is interesting that the selection tonight showed the 1997 Brunello wines are of good pleasure "already" (note that 11 years is hardly long in most Brunello wine's textbook). This is not necessarily a good sign. But at least the tasting has helped us resolve to drink up most of our 1997s save for some of the very best!
Many thanks to our friend who shared with us this wonderful 11-bottle collection (he does not want his name to mentioned, but you know who you are) and to everyone who took time out to join us in such short notice. There would be more wine exploration through thematic tastings such as this, so look out for our future events.
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