There has been a lot of excited murmurs and whispers around the Brunello di Montalcino 2019 campaign and its wines, supported by a steady stream of reports from journalists and critics lauding the latest anteprima release.
Vinous’ Eric Guido professes in his article Buckle your seatbelts: 2019 Brunello and 2021 Rosso di Montalcino “the current releases from Montalcino are an embarrassment of riches for collectors and fans of the appellation… Montalcino continues to create world-class wines of the highest caliber and, in most cases, at reasonable price points.” Guido further declared “this is a year where the entire region excelled, from southwest to east and northeast to west. Frankly stated, finding a 2019 that doesn’t show remarkable balance, vivid fruit and freshness is a difficult task. In my opinion, this is always a mark of a great year… This is a vintage of radiance and appeal without any sensation of over-ripeness or lack of complexity. The wines are aromatically intense and full of dimension, with translucent color, fruit typicity and the ability to communicate a sense of place.” Guido concluded with “they are structured and built for cellaring... The terms classic, racy, cool-toned, crunchy and sleek litter my tasting notes, and while many 2019s display an inviting personality today, they are balanced for the cellar and sure to mature beautifully over the next ten to fifteen years, if not more. This is the vintage we’ve all been waiting for.”
Kerin O’Keefe concurred in her Brunello di Montalcino 2019 Vintage Report that “2019 has definitely lived up to its lofty reputation as an excellent vintage across Montalcino… I’ve never tasted so many drop-dead-gorgeous young Brunellos from a single vintage. In 2019, many estates made the best wines they have ever made… So if you are going to experiment with names you aren’t familiar with, 2019 is the vintage to do that.”
O’Keefe continued to state “the 2019s are incredibly fragrant, delivering quintessential aromas of perfumed red berry, blue flower, new leather and forest floor… They are full-bodied, with great, delicious fruit flavors that range from ripe red cherry all the way to mature plum. Spicy notes are ubiquitous. They also have great energy thanks to good acidity levels and taut but refined tannins. Many are exhilarating while some are almost opulent, but they are also lifted by vibrancy. The best combine body and finesse, and most will be hitting their ideal drinking window starting in 2027 or 2028 and will age beautifully for fifteen or twenty years after the vintage year. Some will easily age twenty-five years.”
Last but by no means least, The Wine Advocate’s Monica Larner revealed in her article Brunello di Montalcino: Nouvelle Vague “now is the time to take a closer look at this storied Tuscan appellation… if Brunello is your thing, I recommend that you buy and collect the 2019 vintage bottlings (or annata wines), selections and single-vineyard expressions.”
Larner summarised that the 2019 wines have “good balance between acidity, concentration and tannins, which feel elegantly fine-grained and sometimes chalky… the wines boast a special duality in that many bottles are slightly more accessible to drink in the near or medium-term, but they also have the acidity and structure to age should that be your preference.”
Do read our full vintage report; full of the key facts about producer holdings and critics thoughts and comments on the vintage, as well as all wines available for purchase.
If you would like to discuss options further, please call me in the office on 01325 776446, where I will be happy to guide you through the vintage.
