Tag Archives: Brunello

Tenute Silvio Nardi ‘s Brunello 2016, A natural cycle of elegance

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2016 has already won recognition as a stellar vintage for Brunello, with superbly balanced wines. For Tenute Silvio Nardi, this vintage displays the hallmarks of a particularly felicitous conjunction of factors.

Emilia Nardi, head of the family operation, explains: “Over the last 30 years, we have gradually replanted all our vineyards, following a massive zonation project, and in addition, we launched a significant programme of clonal selection. The results are that today, our vineyards are magnificently expressive.”

Brunello Tenute Silvio Nardi is a cuvée of grapes grown in a full 54 individual parcels on the two properties that compose the wine estate. Casale del Bosco, in the north-east quadrant of Montalcino, where the historic winery is located, is wooded and still wild, while Manachiara lies in the sunny, gently-rolling hills in the southeast. The voices of these vineyards’ “chorus” are even further tuned by precision viticulture and separate vinifications. After individual maturations, the lots find their common expression in the assembly of the cuvée, composed with the assistance of the exceptionally sensitive palate of consulting winemaker Eric Boissenot.

Zonation, soils, clones, elevation, aspect, and, obviously, the hand of man are critical for producing a great wine, but a favourable climate is just as important, and weather conditions in 2016 have been just perfect. Following spring rains that lasted into mid-June, sun and cool breezes got the upper hand. Heat in July, which averaged over 30oC, providentially alternated with sporadic rains in August, which brought temperatures down as low as 12oC, ushering in the cool conditions necessary for a high-quality crop, and a slow, gradual ripening allowed tannins and aroma precursors all the time they needed to develop. The first picking started in mid-September and concluded in October.  

“After years of intense work on our vineyards, and with the fortunate kiss of 2016, I am pleased to state that the elegance achieved by our Brunello 2016 represents a great milestone for us, but the starting point as well for striving further,” concluded Emilia.

The wine exhibits an impressive balance of red berries and purple fruit, with a near-endless progression infused with mineral and vegetal aromatic impressions, all supported by a lively acidity and firm tannins that promise an enviable development over 10 years or more.    

Padelletti winery #tuscany #montalcino #wine

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Brunello Padelletti

In Montalcino town, close to Siena, in the beautiful area nearby Monte Amiata and Val d’Orcia, Padelletti family is one of the oldest and famous vintner, since 1571.

All members of the family have been involved in military and political affairs of their hometown. They have traveled abroad for work reasons, however they have always been maintained a close bond with their land and never forgot to take care of their winery and enrich family tradition with modernity and innovation they have experienced during their several trips abroad.

The wines produced by the family have incredible features due to the fertile soil, in which vineyards are extended. Thanks to this particular ground, rich in water and cinders, coming from eruptions of Monte Amiata, the wine is characterized by aroma and notes extremely hard to reproduce.

In order to have a very high quality wine, family members carry out a meticulous selection of fine red grapes (Sangiovese grape) every year. Among about 480 quintals of grapes, only 100 quintals are chosen, for a maximum production of 7000/8000 bottles of wine. The result is a full-bodied red wine, the so-called “Brunello”, well known for its special intense colour and strong taste, a combination of history and culture.

Brunello is aged in barrels made of the Slavonic wood for many years, a valuable type of wood, that has made the wine very expensive. A really high level of tannins is contained in these barrels, so it is important to constantly control wine, in order to avoid to have an unpleasant taste.

The two iconic wines produced by Padelletti family are Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino, powerful wines but gentle and velvety wines at the same time. By tasting these strong flavoured wines, your palate will be overwhelmed by vivid emotions.

They are perfect to be paired with red and white meat, salmon and tuna.

Padelletti wine estate website: http://www.padelletti.it/azienda_en.html

Valentina Gagliano

 

Col d’Orcia wine estate #wine #montalcino #tuscany

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Surrounded by a beautiful natural scenery, Col d’Orcia winery is situatedCOL6near the fabulous medieval village of Montalcino, in Siena province of Tuscany. It offers fantastic views with its Montalcino hills, Monte Amiata and Brunello vineyards. In this scenic location you will have the opportunity to taste delicious products like wines, organic extra virgin olive oil and grappa.

The wine estate is considered as the largest organic wine farm in Tuscany, it obtained organic certification in 2010. Col d’Orcia literary means “windy hill”, that is the amazing place where you can find Poggio al Vento vineyard.  The company is owned by Cinzano family since 1973.

DOCG wines produced have a very high quality and the most important are wide range of fine Montalcino red wines, Chianti DOCG and Pinot Grigio. Moreover Col d’Orcia is well-known for its unique patrimony of more than 50,000 bottles of vintages Brunello di Montalcino.

Col d’Orcia regularly opens its cellars to all wine lovers and connoisseurs, you can take part of a tour discovering the estate and tasting wines.

We have been charmed by the taste of Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG, that we really liked it. It is a deep and dense ruby red wine made from a rigorous selection of best bunches of Sangiovese grape, locally called “Brunello”.  It requires a long maturation of more than four years in steel tanks first and then in Slavonian oak barrels.

This pure Sangiovese variety has an elegant body and a firm acidity, slightly attenuated by fruit fragrances. A full-bodied, powerful wine with a long and memorable aftertaste.

Col d’Orcia estate website: http://www.coldorcia.com/

Valentina Gagliano

 

Musico Montalcino winery #tuscany #wine #montalcino #italy

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Musico montalcino

Martini family is one of the most renowned and oldest family in Montalcino city, in Tuscany. Love and passion for winery and wine production have been passed down from one generation to another.

Most of the family members were farmer and they worked in their vineyards and in Maremma region too. One of the most esteemed farmer was Renato Martini, whose abilities and manual skills were really appreciated by land owners.

In 1980, the business man Giovanni Martini, deeply interested in viniculture decided to buy some vineyards, becoming a major producer of wine. His son, Guido Martini, inherited the enterprise from the father and he tried to keep family tradition in his production.

The annual production it’s around 5,000 bottles of Brunello, 3,000 of  Rosso di Montalcino and 2,000 of IGT. In addiction the winery also produces 1,000 bottles of olive oil and the Brunello Grappa.

The wines produced are of excellent quality, labels of bottles are made of a personalized design, very attractive for buyers. Wines are mainly created thanks to fermentation of Sangiovese grape, the most widely planted grape variety in Italy.

We have been charmed by the Brunello di Montalcino which is a very balanced wine, not too strong, with a fantastic expression of the san giovese. A wine, first of all very elegant with silk tannins, a perfect acidity and a lovely aftertaste.

Musico Montalcino winery website: http://musico.pro/en

Valentina Gagliano

Miguel Damien Desnerck

BRUNELLO 2011: A FOUR STARS VINTAGE

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Montalcino, 25th February 2012 – The early harvest was rewarded with four stars for Brunello di Montalcino2011. These were assigned by the jury of experts and producers that this morning, on the occasion of the Benvenuto Brunello, announced publicly their evaluation of the quality of the harvest. The decision to pick the grapes 15 days in advance balanced the effects of the heat wave that struck the Tuscan territory last summer, making the  year 2011 another high-level vintage. Now we shall have to wait the regulation 5 years  (6 for Riserva) before tasting the Brunello 2011 and having a confirmation of the excellence and high quality of this wine that, potentially, a 4 star harvest provides for. The rest will be guaranteed by the ability of each producer.

Mean time the international 2012 preview continues with the other  usual events of Benvenuto Brunello: today the  affixing of the commemorative plaque and the assignation of the Leccio d’Oro prizes.

An artist design for the 2011 harvest plaque affixed, following the tradition, to the outside wall of the Montalcino’s Palazzo Pubblico: the image was created this year by the stylists of “Salvatore Ferragamo”, griffe of the internationally renowned fashion house. The same design has been reproduced on T-shirts and sweatshirts for sale at the event. The proceeds of their sale will be used entirely to finance the acquisition of a new ambulance for the Confraternita della Misericordia of Montalcino. The plaque represents an original floral composition in which the vine leaves,  stems and bunches of grapes are the background of a glass and a bottle of wine, that take the shape of delicate white and pink flowers. Giovanna Gentile Ferragamo, Salvatore’s daughter, presented the design of the plaque which was reproduced on the T-shirts sold for the purchase of an ambulance donated to the Confraternita della Misericordia di Montalcino.

The “Brunello calendar” that can be admired in the historic centre of Montalcino, is a veritable art gallery with works by artists such as Sandro Chia and Oliviero Toscani, fashion stylists such as

Roberto Cavalli and Ottavio Missoni, cartoonists such as Emilio Giannelli or sport champions such as Deborah Compagnoni.

The recipients of the Leccio d’Oro this year were GAIA RESTAURANT of Hong Kong for the restaurant sector, the BIONDIVINO WINE BOUTIQUE of San Francisco (USA) for the wine shop sector and the ANTICA TRATTORIA SUBAN of Trieste for the bistrot sector.

The Gaia Restaurant (www.gaiagroup.com), one of the best Italian restaurants of Hong Kong, was the first place to be opened by the “Gaia Group” that started in 2000 and spread rapidly throughout China with the opening of several other restaurants and bars. Gaia Restaurant of Hong Kong is managed by Pino Piano: Neapolitan by birth, Piano has travelled all over the world, moving from London to New York until he landed in Hong Kong. The wine lists contain more than 600 bottles, between Italian and French labels.

The Biondivino wine shop (www.biondivino.com) of Ceri Smith was founded in 2006 and is mainly specialized in Italian wines. This exclusive “Italian wine boutique” of San Francisco comprises in its wine list something like 490 wines of twenty different Italian regions of which 150 have a shelf cost of under twenty dollars.

The Antica Trattoria Suban (www.suban.it) of Trieste was born back in 1865 and since then four generations of restorateurs  have done their best to carry on the gastronomic tradition born of the fusion of different people, religions, habits and customs. The trattoria was opened and to this day still stands in the Rione di San Giovanni, a stipover area and a passage for the traffic between the Carsica Plane and Trieste. Today the  trattoria is managed by Federica Suban.

The jury that chose the candidates is composed as usual by the President of the Consorzio  Ezio Rivella and the members of the Committee of the Presidency Donatella Cinelli Colombini, Marco Cortonesi, Giancarlo Pacenti and Fabrizio Bindocci, and of experts Allan Bay, renowned journalist in the food and wine sector and Corriere della Sera writer of the “Vivi Milano” column; food and wine writer of food books for the US market Faith Willinger; President of the Associazione Italiana Sommelier (AIS) Antonello Maietta and President of Gruppo del Gusto  of the Foreign Press in Italy Alfredo Tesio.

Henry BORZI

Montalcino, Toscana