2017 Fattoria dei Barbi Brunello di Montalcino

Regular Price $85.00,
Last Call On The Vintage $66.99
with shipping included on 4 bottles or more

It seems to me we spend a lot of time talking about cellaring Brunello but not enough time actually drinking it. That’s a problem I sometimes face when poking around the cellar for something to open as the grill gets hot and the steak sits ready to hit the flames. Here’s a recommendation for a wine you can grab this very evening and have out on the table by the time the meat is done resting- Barbi’s 2017 Brunello di Montalcino. No, this isn’t a cellar treasure at all- in fact the majority of its life still lies ahead rather than behind- but a recent bottle opened here revealed a wine that has grown into much of its youthful promise and has become a thoroughly lovely example of Sangiovese Grosso. Its flavors are still youthfully vibrant but no longer as reticent, tannic or inward looking as it was when it first arrived several years ago. Barbi is, of course, one of Montalcino’s most venerable properties. Owned by the Cinelli-Colombini family since the 14^th century, the estate, now looked after by the latest generation Stefano, has extensive holdings in some of the best exposures in the entire Montalcino appellation and operate a very traditional cellar that produces brilliant Brunello (and everything else) vintage after vintage. The 2017 began its life as the product of a very hot and dry vintage with lots of concentrated fruit and, like most Brunellos from the harvest, a good deal of rustic briary tannin. As time as gone on, though, all that copious dusky cherry fruit as grown into itself and come to the fore while the tannins have melded nicely into the wine showcasing the surprising and pleasing fresh acidity that has become one of the unexpected features of the vintage. Dark and heady, the aromatics are lifted by that freshness onto a rich, silky palate with a gorgeous mouthfeel and really nice integrated tannins. If you like your Brunello on the precocious, early-drinking side, this is your wine! That’s not to say this won’t cellar further as I said above, the Barbi Brunello has the track record of aging graciously for many decades and the 2017 will be no exception. We managed to obtain a fair bit of this at a very nice price as the importer is making room for the 2020 that will arrive soon. Get that steak ready! Your wine is here.