There’s an austere serenity to the Swiss Church in London’s Covent Garden; almost entirely unembellished, it is remarkably uniform, to the extent that if you sliced it in half down the middle, the two parts would be almost identical. A sober place, to be sure, but somehow impressive in that. It was actually a great place to sample the latest vintage of Brunello di Montalcino - the 2020, alongside some 2019 Riservas which, according to the rules of the Consorzio, require another year of ageing before release.
As ever, the wines were lined up in the middle of the hall and tasters were served their pre-selected wines by sommeliers. Fewer producers were showing this year than last - just 24, with 54 wines shown altogether (some producers showed 2019 Riservas and Single Vineyard Brunellos alongside their standard one).
My overall impression of the wines - correlated by chats with other tasters - is that the wines is actually much like the venue: high quality, quite sober and serious in style, and remarkably uniform and correct. Almost Swiss you might say, if they weren’t so defiantly Tuscan.
“It’s quite extraordinary - I’ve rated every single one of the 2020s I’ve tried between 91-94. Not a duff one there,” said one well-known figure in the UK trade.
Walter Speller, who organised the tasting, broadly agrees.
“From the many wines I’ve tasted the vintage is looking good: 2020 is not quite like 2016 (a truly great vintage) but it’s at least on a par with 2018 and maybe a bit better – there seems to be more going on,” he says, adding that the 2019 Riservas are also showing well.
“Somehow I wasn’t quite expecting it – I would definitely invest in them.”
Of course, it’s very early days (the wines don’t get released into the market until January and Brunello famously takes a long time to properly reveal its many nuances) but Speller’s remarks correlate with what growers are saying.
“We expect the Poggio di Sotto 2020 to be elegant, refined, and remarkably drinkable from the very first months of the year. This is mainly due to the vintage, which was cool and not overly dry, allowing for balanced ripening,” says Leonardo Berti, oeonologist at Poggio di Sotto, suggesting the Brunello 2020 has a drinkability rarely found in other vintages.
This is echoed by Alessandro Marini of Tenuta Luce.
“2020 was a slightly warmer season than 2019, and this is reflected in the wine, making it more immediate and exuberant, while still retaining the complexity typical of our Brunello,” he says.
Berti says it’s a very different story for the Poggio di Sotto 2019 Riserva.
“It will require many more months, if not years, of bottle ageing to fully reveal its power and elegance. This is the result of an almost perfect vintage that endowed the grapes with a generosity and fullness that only time can refine.”
So which wines and producers stood out for me?
Here’s my Top 10 Brunello di Montacino 2020s
Canalicchio di Sopra
This 62-year-old 15-hectare estate, to the north of Montalcino is run by three siblings and has acquired a cult status for the finesse of its wines, which carry well their hefty 15% ABV. I liked all four of the wines shown here (a 2020 Annata, two single vineyard Brunelli and a 2019 Riserva) but if I had to chose one it would be the Vigna Montosoli 2020, spicy nose with dark berry and cherry fruit on the palate, long finish. Give this a few more years and it will be a classic. (imported by Vinexus)
Caprili
The Bartolommei family planted its first vineyard back in 1965, making them an early pioneer of the region and the 2020 and 2019 shown here stood out for their precision and appeal. Like all the 2019s shown, the AdAlberto Riserva needs a lot more time to show its full attributes but the 2020 was a joy, quite rounded and showing good fruit, with well defined acidity but quite approachable. Bold but elegant. (imported by Wine Society)
Cortonesi
Another pioneer, with vineyards around Montalcino, the two single vineyard wines shown – Poggiarelli 2020 and La Manella 2020 – had quite distinct characteristics, probably reflecting the soil types (respectively galestro and fossil-rich clay). My preference at this point would be for La Manella, quite forward on the palate, with sour cherry notes, evident salinity and suggestions of spice and tobacco on the long finish. Will age beautifully but ready to go right now, frankly. (imported by Thorman Hunt)
Fossacolle
Brunello winemakers famously produce wines in small volumes but few are quite as boutique as this producer, established near the turn of the century but producing just 10,000 bottles in a typical vintage. The 2020 Annata here is very approachable but also nuanced, with silky tannins and a long spicy finish. (imported by Liberty Wines)
Máté
Fully organic but with tiny volume (just 4.5 ha for the Annata and 2 ha for the single vineyard wine) this highly regarded producer aims for an opulent, rounded style and the 2020 Annata is very much that – there’s plum and black cherry, with a hint of tobacco and spice on the palate. Very open and approachable already, this will evolve nicely. (imported by Berry Bros)
Pian delle Vigne
Antinori can generally do no wrong and so it is here, with this benchmark Brunello 2020 made with grapes grown in clay and chalk soils in the region’s far south-west. By Montalcino standards this is almost big volume (the main Pian delle Vigne vineyard is 70 ha) but the resulting wine is as ever, solid, very well made, and already approachable. More intriguing is the single vineyard Vignaferrovia 2019 Riserva, very rich and fulsome already, with suggestions of tobacco and spice on a very long palate. Great stuff. (imported by Berkmann)
Ridolfi
One of the newer estates in the region – established 2011 – its young vines and clay soil combine to create well-made forward wines with great expression. Hedonism describes the wines from an earlier vintage – 2017 – as “hedonistic”; I wouldn’t say that (yet at least) of the 2020 but the Annata here has a definite appeal with red cherry, cinnamon and wood spice on the palate. Approachable now but the wine definitely needs more time. (imported by Corney & Barrow)
Sesti
Located in the far south of the region, the Sesti estate is famously home to the Argiano Tower, which was part of the defensive line for the Republic of Siena, and features on the estate’s iconic labels. Calcareous-clay soils explains at least in part why the wines are so distinctive, but so too is the eclectic approach of owner Giuseppe, who ran a baroque opera festival for 30 years and now produces some 60,000 bottles a year on his estate.The 2020 Annata is very fruit-forward, bold and expressive, with dark berry and cherry fruit on a long, smoky palate. Delicious, as is the Phenomena Riserva 2019, although this still needs more time to fully evolve and become, well, phenomenal. (imported by Armit, Goedhuis, various)
Talenti
The debate over whether Brunello from the southern or northern part of the region is to be preferred is one of those vinous rabbit holes one can easily fall into – for my money, particularly if seeking to consume early rather than lay down for a long time, wines from the southerly regions are probably preferable. And you don’t get much further south than Talenti, located near the village of Sant’Angelo in Colle, with one of the most recognisable labels in the region. The 2020 Annata is forward, drinking well already, with firm tannins supported by well-defined acidity and nice berry fruit; the Piero 2020 made from grapes grown in clay/galestro soil, is very complex and nuanced and probably wins my award for best single vineyard wine of the tasting. Drinking well but with lots more to offer going forward. (imported by Bibendum)
Tiezzi
This tiny volume producer (around 7 hectares in total) located close to the town of Montalcino is emblematic of the way the DOCG is evolving right now – showing three wines, one a 2019 Riserva, the Vigna Soccorso, all single vineyard, all organic and each made from grapes grown in different soils, on albarello vines. The main wine, made in the 4-hectare Poggio Cerrino was probably the most ready to go, with 30 days lees contact; sour cherry and dark berry on a long palate. (Seeking UK representation)
Tasting the Castiglion del Bosco wines in depth
Thanks mainly it its high tannic structure, Sangiovese – and Brunello in particular – is very much viewed as a food wine. So it was a treat to have a sneak-peak at the new releases from one of the region’s biggest and most famous producers, accompanied by a decent lunch at London’s Four Seasons Hotel. (imported by MMD)
The event was arranged to launch the latest wine in Castiglion del Bosco’s iconic Zodiac Collection. This highly collectible series of wines – just 800 magnums are usually released – is famous for a reason and the Year of the Snake Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2018, was tasting very well considering it was from what head of press Gemma Grieco describes as a “challenging vintage.”
The Zodiac Collection Year of the OX Brunello di Montalcino 2014 was even more stellar, confirming my view that these wines are not to be dismissed as ‘bling wines’, which some suggest they are, maybe because the estate is owned by Massimo Ferragamo (son of the very famous Salvatore) who bought the 2000 ha property back in 2003.
And how were the 2020 Annatas and the 2019 Riserva?
The standard black label 2020, of which around 100,000 bottles are made in a typical year, is very approachable, easy to enjoy (maybe too easy, judging how often the sommelier was topping me up!) and showed great cassis and warm spice flavours on the palate. The Campo del Drago 2020 SV had by contrast a very different profile, more elegance and structure thanks to the whole cluster fermentation, but also a more defined tannic structure; this wine comes from Castliglion del Bosco’s highest parcel of vines located 430m above sea level in mostly galestro soil. Just 6000 bottles were made.
This is, however, more than the Millecento Brunello Riserva 2019. The winery hasn’t made a Riserva since 2016 and this 2019 vintage yielded just 500 bottles compared to the usual 15,000 or so bottles due to tricky conditions in the vineyard. Again, however, a memorable wine with layers of complexity and well-balanced tannins, reinforcing my overall view that the 2019 Riservas will age well whilst the 2020 Annata wines are generally already a go-to proposition. As Grieco puts it, “2020 is not a majestic vintage but it is elegant and refined” and will certainly improve with time. Well, what more can you ask for?
