We celebrated our own little “Festa del Barolo” at a friend’s house in Trier about 3 weeks ago… except for it wasn’t Barolo, it wasn’t 2014 and it wasn’t in New York… come to think of it it had nothing to do with Festa del Barolo but it was a fantastic weekend of friendship, wine, food and a great time. My friends Lars, Niklas and I travelled to Trier from various places in Europe on Friday and our little expedition group was kindly joined/enhanced by a few other wine enthusiasts, and of course the host.
This year’s January tasting crushed all the New Year’s resolutions before the year really started. Our topic was 2006 Tuscany and our friend told us beforehand that he had roughly 25 bottles of 2006 Sangiovese and a Selosse “Lieux-dits” case to kick off our weekend and therefore kindly asked us to not bring any wine or at least to hold back. As always this didn’t really work and we ended up with probably around 50 bottles of wine (after we skipped a few of the 2006…). To soak up all the wine, Chef and fellow wine aficionado D. (with the excellent help of sous-chef Niklas) cooked a traditional meal to go with the wines. Heavy on beautiful Perigord truffles on night one and more Tuscany and Piedmont-inspired on day 2. I am drooling just by thinking of all the food and wine we had…
We tasted most of the wines over 2 evenings and had a fascinating tour and tasting at Hofgut Falkenstein on Saturday morning. What a treat to be able to taste all different casks (Fuder) of their unique wines from the Saar and to spend 2 and half hours with the energetic Johannes Weber. Definitely one of the highlights of my many winery visits I have done so far over many years. The wines showed incredible energy, tension and an electrifying character that is very unique.
On Friday evening, we started the tasting with an Italian sparkling wine (no tasting note taken) that was a little bit polarizing. We then moved on to a first of many highlights, Cedric Bouchard and then Selosse. For reasons of readability, I tried to group the tasting notes based on their regions. The Champagne and Burgundy notes will be published in a separate post.
After the short intro/apéritif (of around 15 wines!!!) we eventually focused on tasting the 2006 Sangioveses. Overall, I have to say that although the wines were pretty diverse, they were not as different from each other as e.g. Barolos from different villages or Crus. There was a pretty clear difference between the more robust, bigger but unfortunately in some cases also slightly tired/advanced wines of Montalcino and the overall fresher, more tense and from my perspective often better wines from the Chianti Classico area. I am of course generalizing but I felt confirmed in my decision to spend my money on Chianti Classico rather than Brunellos and will continue to do that. Having said this, there were big exceptions to the rule that showed beautifully (like Cerbaiona or Poggio di Sotto). Quite a lot of the wines showed significantly better on day 2, so maybe we should have given them some more air. Also another key take-away for me was, not surprisingly, that these wines were really shining with food due to their acidic spine and overall structure.
Tasting Notes
Flight 1
2006 Azienda Agricola Montevertine Toscana IGT, 94 points
The first wine of the line-up and a first highlight… Medium ruby color. Notes of cinnamon, spices, some red fruit, flowers. Lighter-medium bodied with medium-high acidity and lower medium tannin that has melted away. Very good length. A perfumed, weightless Sangiovese that is almost Burgundian in flavor and structure.
2006 Azienda Agricola Montevertine Le Pergole Torte Toscana IGT, 97+ points
Very similar showing to the last bottle. A step up in complexity, structure and completeness compared to the Montevertine next to it. Notes of sweet red cherries, crushed flowers, blood orange, wet leaves, some spicy notes too. It’s medium-full bodied (substantially bigger than the Montevertine) but still kind of weightless at the same time, with pretty high acidity providing lift and freshness, and medium-high tannin that is super silky but will provide the structure for long aging. Excellent length. A breathtakingly beautiful wine that combines finesse and elegance with depth and power. Contender for WOTN.
2006 Fattoria Poggio di Sotto Rosso di Montalcino, 92 points
Very nice aromatics of dark plum, menthol, spices, tobacco, leather, some toasted notes too. It‘s medium+ bodied, has very good medium-high acidity and medium-high tannin. Lacks a little bit in terms of mid-palate density and complexity compared to the very best wines in the line up. Excellent QPR.
2006 Fattoria Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino, 96 points
This is like the Rosso on steroids, but in a good way. Deep dark notes of dark plum, dark red berries, sweet spices, some cinnamon, tobacco leaf, cigar, cedar wood, also some menthol, mint, flowery notes too. It‘s full-bodied, dense and powerful, with excellent mid-palate persistence, pretty high tannin (that is polished) and pretty high acidity. Excellent length. A top-notch Brunello of the highest level and one of the standouts for me.
Flight 2
2006 Pian dell’Orino Brunello di Montalcino, 95 points
Super perfumed, with notes of black cherries, blackberries, new leather, also some smoke, crushed flowers and spicy notes, as well as some mint. It‘s full-bodied, dense and pretty powerful, with excellent medium-high but polished tannin. Good freshness with medium+ acidity. Excellent length. A superb Brunello that is very complete. Slightly tired on day 2.
2006 Azienda Agricola San Giuseppe Brunello di Montalcino Stella di Campalto, 95 points
Expressive notes of black cherries, blackberries, also some dark plum, some meaty notes too, leather. It‘s medium-full bodied, with medium-high acidity and medium+ tannin that is excellent quality. Very good length. Seems a little more polished and finessed next to the Pian dell‘Orino, but also a touch lighter handed at this stage. Probably time to drink now. Also slightly tired on day 2.
1985 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà, 90 points
From Magnum bottle to go with the truffles. Lightening garnet color with quite some bricking… Pretty advanced notes, of maggi/loveage, some oxidative notes sneaking in, too…, dark red cherries, also some tar and violets, brown sugar. Medium tannin and medium acidity. Slightly fading and time to drink up, but still fascinating to taste.
2006 Il Marroneto Brunello di Montalcino Madonna delle Grazie, 93 points
The first bottle was flawed and showed some chemical notes. 2nd bottle showed much better. Notes of dark berries, dark cherries, sweet notes of tobacco, menthol, new leather, cigar, some sweet spices. Pretty full-bodied, with excellent medium-high tannin and medium+ acidity. Very good length. Showing surprisingly big and powerful, but very nice. Slightly clumsy compared to the more polished and elegant 2010 I had last though.
Flight 3
2006 Cerbaiona (Molinari) Brunello di Montalcino, 96 points
Similar showing to the last ones, but a little less expressive and aromatic. Super finessed, elegant and beautifully silky. Medium-full bodied, with medium+ tannin that is silky, medium-high acidity and very good length. Not an easy place in a large horizontal tasting with plenty of excellent but bigger Sangioveses that were often a little denser or heavier. Still stood out for its finesse. One of the WOTNs for me. First bottle that was empty… go figure.
2006 Castell’in Villa Chianti Classico Riserva, 92+ points
Classic notes of plum, dark red cherries, notes of sweet spices and some leather. Medium bodied with medium- tannin and medium-high acidity. Good length. A classic CC that has aged beautifully and has excellent freshness.
2006 San Giusto a Rentennano Percarlo Toscana IGT, 97 points
Super perfumed notes of dark cherries, also some red berries, tobacco leaf, herbal notes, cedar wood, also some bittersweet notes, licorice. It‘s pretty full bodied with medium-high acidity and medium-high tannin. Excellent length. A superb Percarlo that has a classic structure and still many years ahead. Excellent. Contender for WOTN for me.
2006 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia, 94+ points
Deep purple color. Notes of dark cherries, plum, tobacco, sweet spices, also some cedar and leathery notes, as well as some bittersweet notes. It‘s medium-full bodied with excellent density, has still pretty high tannin and medium-high acidity. Good length. Excellent showing, especially on day 2. These wines always take forever to get ready but are very classic expressions of darker, more structured Sangiovese from the Castelnuova Berardenga subregion of Chianti Classico. They are still a screaming bargain for ageworthy Italian wine.
Flight 5
2006 Podere Poggio Scalette Il Carbonaione Alta Valle della Greve IGT, 95 points
Deep purple color. Explosive notes of black cherries, but also some sweet red strawberries, sweet spices, new leather, also some sweet dark red berries, violets and some smoke. It‘s pretty full-bodied, with excellent purity of fruit, medium-high acidity and medium-high tannin. Good length. Another excellent Carbonaione.
2006 Fontodi Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo, 95+ points
Deep dark fruit of black berries, dark red berries, also some graphite, leather, smoke, cedar wood, also some coffee. It‘s medium-full bodied, has excellent mid-palate weight and good pretty high acidity as well as medium-high tannin. Excellent length. As always one of my favorites.
2006 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT, 95 points
Singing on day 1, still very good on day 2. Tasted next to the Vigna del Sorbo this feels as always a little rounder, lusher, more „modern“ but a really excellent showing. Usually my heart is with the Vigna del Sorbo, but this is really good. Super ripe notes of plum, dark and dark red cherries, licorice, some spices, also a touch of graphite. It‘s full-bodied and powerful, with medium-high tannin (that is very good quality) and medium+ acidity. Good length. Very good showing.
2006 E. Fuligni (Cottimelli) Brunello di Montalcino, 93 points
This seemed a little more modern and polished in style compared to some of the other 2006 in this line-up. Very perfumed and seductive, with notes of sweet dark red fruit, sandalwood, crushed flowers, also a touch of spicy oak (but not dominating at all). Round lush and medium-full bodied, with good medium+ tannin and medium+ acidity. Good length. In a perfect spot right now.
Concluding remarks
There were also a few other wines we tasted, but I might have missed to take tasting notes on some of them. From the top of my head they were Cepparello, an excellent wine that showed very good depth and freshness, Fontalloro, that was very pretty but a small step down compared to some of the other wines, Monsanto Il Poggio Riserva that was pretty and elegant but I can’t remember it in detail, and Salvioni Brunello di Montalcino that was unfortunately corked.
And the verdict on 2006 Sangiovese? Many very good to excellent wines, again I did like the Chianti Classico region better than Montalcino overall, due to their freshness and tension. And I can see why I am sometimes getting tired of Brunello pretty quickly… the slightly oxidative notes, prune and overripe plum aromatics can be a little overwhelming for my personal nose/palate. The overall quality of the wines was very high though. Many of the wines also really needed food to shine, which also explains why I pretty often want to open Sangiovese with food… they are very versatile with different kinds of food due to their high acidity, body and a certain level of tannin.
Author: Markus Kumschick, WSET III
February 2019