2001 Brunello di Montalcino DOCG

The great king Brunello - made in the traditional way and getting better as the years pass. This is truly a majestic and contemplative wine which is just starting to open up now.

The 2001 vintage is something of a classic. Signor Cencioni and his sons produce classically-styled Brunello from their vineyards on the northern side of the hilltop town of Montalcino and here they have produced another fine example of this famous wine.

Tasting Notes
Ruby red with garnet hints; velvety, smooth, rich dry taste.
Noted wine writer, Jancis Robinson, wrote of this wine:
Capanna 2001 Brunello di Montalcino 17.5 Drink 2010-18.
Dark crimson. Healthy-looking. Light intensity of aroma but pure, rich, leaf mould aromas with some hint of walnuts. Very flattering mouthful of ripe fruit without any specious sweetness and then a hit of great neat dry tannins. A lovely whole that by no means tastes obviously alcoholic (although it is 14.5 per cent) but seems to have the constitution for a classic long life. Not An obvious blockbuster but great balance.

Matching
Game, grilled red meat and mature cheese, but it can be enjoyed on its own.

Winemaking Notes
The making of this excellent wine starts from the constant pruning of the vines, which guarantees a high quality product even in less favourable years. The grapes are carefully selected by hand during the harvest. The winemaking happens at controlled temperatures. During maturation and the ageing (4 years in Slavonian oak barrels) another strict selection is carried out: in fact only a part of the production is destined to become Brunello, while the rest becomes Rosso di Montalcino (maturing process of 2 years) or Rosso da Tavola (red tablewine). During the best vintage years, the best Brunello barrel is destined for Riserva and is bottled after 5 years. When bottled, the wine is further refined for a few months.

Brunello has a unique longevity.