BUYING GUIDE - Wine Enthusiast

90
Lazzeretti 2007 Brunello di Montalcino.
Here is a clean, straightforward Brunello with
pretty aromas of wild berry, vanilla, leather, spice and
rum cake. It shows a genuine, frank style with a sweet,
velvety close. Pacific Wine Distributors. —M.L.
abv: 14% Price: $NA
90
Marchesi Antinori 2007 Pian delle Vigne
(Brunello di Montalcino). Bramble and forest
floor, cherry cola and savory bresaola notes amount
to pretty aromatics with less bulkiness in the mouth.
The structure is there but this wine is a bit dry, sharp
and less fleshy than many others.Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.
—M.L.
abv: NA Price: $80
90
Pecci Celestino 2007 Brunello di Montalcino.
Spice, cherry liqueur, dark fruit, leather
and moist tobacco comprise the bouquet. Structured
and firm, the wine delivers a clean, focused feel. Palateur
Imports. —M.L.
abv: 15% Price: $79
90
Poggio Rubino 2007 Brunello di Montalcino.
A bright and direct Brunello with aromatic
intensity in the form of small berry, almond skin,
toasted espresso and nut notes. There’s a charred, toasted
element to the wine that at this young stage adds
some astringency to the mouthfeel. Finishes firm and
crisp. —M.L.
abv: 14.5% Price: $NA
90
Solaria 2007 Brunello di Montalcino.
Some charred almond or toast aromas join with
black berry and crushed granite in this full and generous
wine. Nice linear quality allows the berry fruit to glide
over a long smooth finish. Good structure and intensity
but not overdone. Elliott Bay Distributing Co. —M.L.
abv: 14% Price: $NA
90
Talenti 2007 Brunello di Montalcino.
Cola, black licorice, cherry liqueur and rum
cake presage loads of ripe fruit and power. Yet it’s lean
and compact on the finish, with bright acidity that
would pair well with pecorino stagionato or any aged
cheese.Robert Chadderdon Selections. —M.L.
abv: 14.5% Price: $NA
90
Villa I Cipressi 2007 Brunello di Montalcino.
This Brunello opens with a sweet nose of
vanilla and cherry. The bouquet is straightforward, giving
the wine a frank, no-nonsense personality. Flavors of
spice, leather and tobacco appear later, rendering more
depth. It feels youthful, soft and chewy on the close.
A.I. Selections . —M.L.
abv: 13.5% Price: $55
89
Agostina Pieri 2007 Brunello di Montalcino.
A delicate and subtle expression of Sangiovese
Grosso, with tight touches of wild berry, almond
skin, forest bramble, rum cake, cola and eucalyptus.
Streamlined and tight, with great power on the close. A
very compact and tightly constructed wine. Rare Wine
Company. —M.L.
abv: 14.5% Price: $50
89
Baccinetti 2007 Saporoia (Brunello di
Montalcino). Garnet-ruby hue with slightly
browning rim. Savory aromas of cured meat, cola, dried
fruit and rum cake upfront, while warm earthy, tobacco
and leather tones fill in the rear. Sophisticated and
rich, reminiscent of a storied, nostalgic Brunello tradition.
Generous, but with a firm, drying feel on the finish.
K&L Wine Merchants. —M.L.
abv: 14.5% Price: $45
89
Baricci 2007 Brunello di Montalcino. The
wine is subdued and clean on the nose and it
doesn’t exaggerate or mask the quality of fruit. This is
executed in a bright, compact and streamlined style that
combines freshness and firmness. Premier Wine Co.
—M.L.
abv: 14% Price: $40
89
Bellaria 2007 Assunto (Brunello di Montalcino).
Some superripe notes of strawberry
jam and candied fruit lead into notes of rum cake, cherry
liqueur and cured meat. A bold, masculine mouthfeel
comes courtesy of firm, structured tannins. Terra Verus
Trading Co. LP. —M.L.
abv: 14.5% Price: $54
89
Bonacchi 2007 Brunello di Montalcino.
Big and bold, but a bit disjointed aromatically.
Ripe fruit and pipe tobacco vie with a fine note of
graphite or lead pencil. It seems soft, with a touch of
sweetness, but crisp tannins. Give it a few more years to
unwind. Finishes thick and chewy. Baum Wine Imports
Inc. —M.L.
abv: 13.5% Price: $NA
89
Cantina di Montalcino 2007 Brunello di
Montalcino. A bright nose of cherry, vanilla
and rum cake leads into a moderately intense midpalate,
with bright endnotes of dried mint and ginger on
the cool, crisp finish. Wine Wave. —M.L.
abv: 13% Price: $46
89
Collosorbo 2007 Brunello di Montalcino.
Here’s a tight, streamlined Brunello characterized
by a toasted or charred almond note and bright forest
notes of wild berry and underbrush. The mouthfeel
is lean and tight, and there’s a tannic firmness that holds
it together. Frank Johnson Selections. —M.L.
abv: 14.5% Price: $50
89
Il Marroneto 2007 Brunello di Montalcino.
Nice ripeness, fullness and generosity here.
The bouquet opens with bold brushstrokes that don’t
match the delicate, subdued feel in the mouth. It delivers
most of its energy on the nose and segues to a much
calmer, more straightforward style on the close. Montcalm
Wine Importers. —M.L.
abv: 13.5% Price: $45
89
La Colombina 2007 Brunello di Montalcino.
This wine strikes a nice balance between
sweet and savory spice on the nose, with ripe fruit,
prune and leather in the background. This is a velvety,
warm, earthy wine with a broad aromatic delivery and
bold Brunello style. It’s smooth and round, without any
of the sharp acidic accents you sometimes find in Sangiovese
Grosso. Michael Skurnik Wines. —M.L.
abv: 14% Price: $40
89
La Rasina 2007 Brunello di Montalcino.
A bold, inky-black style that is slightly overdone
and a touch overripe. Despite aromas of blackberry preserves,
prune and rum cake, this is a strongly masculine
wine that puts its savory side first. The close is packed
tight with smoked bacon and cured beef aromas. Textured
tannins create some astringency on the finish.
Montecastelli Selections. —M.L.
abv: 14.5% Price: $48
89
Le Gode 2007 Brunello di Montalcino.
This Brunello shows elegant aromatic restraint
in its tight aromas of wild berry and red currant. Dark
flavors of barbecue spice, cured meat, leather and tobacco
layer the midpalate, then turn fine and full on the
finish. Conexport. —M.L.
abv: NA Price: $80
89
Marchesato degli Aleramici 2007 Brunello
di Montalcino. There’s a progression of
aromas here, with some bright candied fruit alongside
rum cake, dried ginger, licorice and forest floor. The
fruit component resembles crème de cassis and red currant.
Despite all that pretty movement in the bouquet,
the wine is lean and bright in the mouth, and gets the
job done in terms of keeping the palate refreshed. Fedway
Imports. —M.L.
abv: 14% Price: $45
89
Pinino 2007 Brunello di Montalcino. This
wine goes from delivering savory spice, cured
meat and smoked bacon to being lean and not too intense
or persistent on the close. The alcohol and dry
tannins want more plush fruit for support. USA Wine
Imports. —M.L.
abv: 14% Price: $40
89
Ridolfi 2007 Brunello di Montalcino.
Spicy wood notes, dark fruit, rum cake, dried
ginger, licorice and cola add up to an ethereal and elegant
Brunello that is more smooth and silky than it is
bold and bulky. Spice, sandalwood and cedar appear on
the close, but it has a compact, streamlined structure.
George Wines. —M.L.
abv: 14.5% Price: $50
89
SassodiSole 2007 Brunello di Montalcino.
A classic Brunello with a savory, aged quality
that exudes sophistication and elegance. Dried fruit,
cassis, spice, old leather and rum cake form the bouquet.
The wine is finely textured, sharp and clean in
the mouth. Seems aged, savory and austere. The Gullà
Group. —M.L.
abv: 14% Price: $50
89
Villa Poggio Salvi 2007 Brunello di Montalcino.
An aging wine with a garnet-ruby color
and bricking at the rim. Aromas of barbecue smoke,
cured meat, leather, tobacco and dark fruit give way to
tight, finely textured tannins on the palate. Shaw-Ross
International Importers. —M.L.
abv: 14% Price: $45
89
Vini Italiani da Sogno 2007 Carillon
(Brunello di Montalcino). The subtle, subdued
nose is of perfumed spice, dried red rose and currant.
But there is chewy softness here and enough extraction
to hold the wine firm on the palate. The struc-
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