Montalcino Spotlight: Brunelli

Italian wines are currently dimming the spotlight that for so long has been dominated here in Hong Kong by wines from Bordeaux, which is no bad thing considering the diversity of Italian wines and their ability to, overall, pair a lot better to Chinese food than the Bordeaux that are predominantly made up of Cabernet and Merlot and offer very little white choices.

That being so, I am not writing about Italian white wines, but a couple of red wines I had the pleasure of recently tasting from the Montalcino region of Italy and that can only mean one thing – Sangiovese, possibly the quintessential Italian grape.

The vineyards and winery of Brunelli are situated in Montalcino and, although originally a family of farmers, they turned their knowledge and expertise of the land of their fathers and grandfathers into an ability to use this land to create some of the finest wines from the region.

The families abandoned the traditional cultivation farming at the end of the 1960’s, while in 1964 took up residence at a farm called Martoccia, a small place of about three hectares. Expansion came in the 1990’s and the winery currently farms 15 hectares of vines, of which five are registered Brunello di Montalcino DOCG.

Wanting to get to the heart of Montalcino I tried both the Rosso di Montalcino and the Brunello, both of which were exceedingly good. In fact, I loved the Rosso, it was approachable, easy drinking, conversation evoking and, honestly, went really very well with the pancetta and gorgonzola salad I was eating at the time. The 2010 vintage is one that looks as if it’s much older than the vintage would suggest, but this, in my books, is not a bad thing. Aged for just 9 months in Slovenian and French oak the wine is not overly intense, but full of flavour and one that I think would do just as well as a stand-alone wine as it did with the food.

Rosso di Montalcino has long been deemed as the ‘little brother’ of the Brunello but I think this does it a little bit of injustice as it really is a wine unto itself. There’s plenty of fruit and, although a lover of the Brunello, it offers something that the Brunello cannot – simplicity. I like simple wines that have character and I don’t mean simple as in one-dimensional. I mean that it’s a classic wine that drinks very well and does not involve too much thinking to appreciate – my kind of wine!

Wine Spectator recently gave the Rosso di Montalcino 2010 90 points describing it as: “Fresh and elegant, this red sports strawberry, raspberry and currant flavours on a vibrant, elegant frame. Well-structured and intense with a lingering mineral aftertaste”.

So to the Brunello di Montalcino 2007; Brunello itself being one of the most well-known treasured wines of Italy around the world. This wine has depth and a great backbone and most certainly, in my view is a white table cloth dinner table wine. It would not be out of place at any feast or dinner in my view as it’s got all the redeeming qualities one looks for in a quality Brunello.

The Brunello is a serious wine with plenty of flavours of cherries, wild black berries and a hint of vanilla. This wine is also aged in Slovenian and French oak for 36 months and is left for 6 months in the bottle before being released. Personally, I really enjoyed the wine and it complimented the main courses we were eating over the lunch.

Wine Spectator also gave the 2007 90 points describing it as: “This rich red exudes aromas of cherry, raspberry, floral and light earth. Vibrant and harmonious with a lingering finish of fruit and tea”.

This is why I sometimes think other peoples tasting notes should be ignored when you are searching out a wine as this does not do the wine justice and, with only 1650 cases made annually, the wine is mysterious and, most importantly, a real pleasure to drink.

Give these wines a try next time you are looking for a decent (and very well priced) Italian wine to share over the dinner table. Brunelli wines are available from Valdivia here in Hong Kong, a company that has been importing and distributing wines here since 1975 – so they’ve got a pretty good idea of what they’re doing and really only looking for quality. You can contact them through their retail shop in Wan Chai called Castello del Vino (G/F, 12 Anton Street, Wan Chai – Tel: 2866 0587) or contact them on info@castellodelvino.com.hk