Mountain Brunello 2019- Altitude With Attitude?
Altitude is Attitude! Two of our favorite cooler-climate Brunellos of the 2019 vintage are On Sale! Get ‘em while they’re hot! No.
Get them while they’re COOL!
Shipping included on any 6 bottles or more
2019 Il Palazzone Brunello di Montalcino
Regular Price $90. Ours is
Shipping included on 6 bottles, mix and match OK
2019 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino ‘Vigna Montosoli’
Regular Price $148. Ours today is
Shipping included on 6 bottles, mix and match OK
Is Mountain Montalcino even a thing? It is now! In these days of torrid summers and over-the-top ripeness levels, altitude means access to cooling evening breezes and much cooler, slower ripening conditions. Cool is in in Montalcino. Or, put another way, Altitude is Attitude! Witness the performance over the past decade of the wines in the higher, cooler spots in the appellation, particularly in the northern zone, and there’s no doubt they are pulling away from the pack in terms of finesse, balance and class. Here are two of our favorite Brunellos that serve to prove the point. Come get high too, at our best prices ever!
Altitude is only part of what makes Il Palazzone’s magnificent 2019 Brunello di Montalcino such a success. Besides the fact that the two vineyard sites that comprise the vast majority of this wine sit at 510 meters and 370 meters respectively, they are perched on rockier, less clayey soils, quite different from the galestro profile so prevalent in most wines from Montalcino. There’s an added boost of acidity, tannins and mountain freshness that helps take this prodigious offering from the merely rich, extracted and powerful to something more- something with a sense of silky elegance and elan that some 2019s can lack. For those unfamiliar, Il Palazzone is run by an American couple, the Kerns, who have assembled an all-star team of talent to oversee their tiny estate and produce their exquisite production of Rosso and Brunello as well as an extraordinarily good olive oil. Though they’re not certified as such, they farm organically and the winemaking is restrained and very much suited to the production of wines that emphasize subtlety and polish. We were very much impressed with this 2019’s balance and promise of a lovely future ahead. Priced better than a lot of wines in its class, we recommend adding some to the cellar for drinking in about five to six years and improvement for another dozen at least. And then there’s the Altesino Brunello Montosoli, the wine that first brought attention to the hill that has since been the source of many of Montalcino’s most iconic wines. This is a benchmark in the appellation and an absolute highlight in any vintage. In 2019, well, the Vigna Montosoli is absolutely sensational- everything you could possibly hope for in a Brunello from its ravishing aromatics and deeply pitched fruit to an incredible ‘weight without heaviness’ texture. It’ll outlast us all if you decide to cellar a few bottles! Bravo.
Palazzone Reviews:
Vinous:The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino is an understated beauty, slowly blossoming with rose petals, cedary spice and dried strawberries. It’s silky-smooth and pliant with a hint of sweet spice up front that gives way to ripe red and blue fruits all carried across a wave of silken textures. Youthful tension slowly builds as mounting tannins tug at the cheeks and a cranberry crunchiness forms, yet all the while, residual acidity maintains perfect balance. Don’t let this seductress fool you, for all of her youthful charms, the best is yet to come. 94 points
James Suckling: Black cherries and flowers, such as roses on the nose. Medium to full body with firm, silky tannins and a clear finish. Very al dente. Drink after 2027. 95 points
Altesino Reviews:
Wine Advocate: From a beautiful site that must be seen to be believed, the Altesino 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Montosoli is redolent with dark fruit, blackcurrant and crushed slate. The mineral element of Montosoli and its schistic galestro-rich soils comes through beautifully in this vintage to add a linear sense of immediacy and verticality to the bouquet. The mouthfeel is especially elegant, and the wine's acidity is delivered expertly to showcase freshness but more importantly to highlight the quality of the fruit. The effect is very tonic and bright, and you get hints of baked brioche or oven-baked Italian focaccia bread, thanks to careful aging in Slavonian oak. 97 points
Vinous: An enticing blend of steeped plums, blood orange, sage and sweet smoke makes the 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Montosoli a total pleasure on the nose. Elegant and soothing, it flows across the palate with a silken wave of ripe red fruits and spices as saline minerals slowly saturate under an air of violet inner florals. The 2019 is seamless and harmonious, leaving a coating of edgy tannins to contend with a bump of refreshing acidity as suggestions of tart cranberry and a bitter tinge of clove slowly taper off. This is Montosoli terroir at its very best, and even at this early stage, it's impossible to resist pouring another glass. 97 points
Wine Spectator: This enticing wine is long, complex and harmonious, exuding macerated cherry, plum, lavender and spice flavors. The ripe fruit is offset by woodsy underbrush notes, all backed by a vibrant structure. Better than previously reviewed. 95 points
James Suckling: Perfumed and beautiful with raspberry and cherry aromas and flavors. Purity like a mountain stream. Medium to full body with ultra-refined tannins that are so polished and beautiful. Goes on for minutes. Lovely and real. Drinkable but better in two or three years.
97 points