2010 Brunello di Montalcino, Biondi-Santi, Tuscany, Italy
Critics reviews
Biondi Santi’s 2010 Brunello di Montalcino is one of the more controversial wines of the night. Some tasters admire the wine’s classical austerity and potential, but for others the wine is too tight to deliver real pleasure. There is little question the Biondi Santi needs time, but it is in my view impressive on this night, even if it is not as sexy as many other wines.
Drink 2022 - 2050
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (December 2015)
Vibrant cherry red colour. Strikingly aromatic without being confected, right on the cusp of ripeness: strawberry and raspberry fruit alongside their respective leaves. There is some tobacco and spice in the background. Then firm, taut, notably dry in the mouth with its comparatively low alcohol. Poised and noble, it was built for the long haul with few, if any, concessions to the modern style. This is conviction winemaking.
Drink 2020 - 2035
Alex Hunt MW, JancisRobinson.com (July 2015)
I had previously reviewed this wine upon its commercial release three years ago, but a wine like this merits frequent return visits. The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino remains youthful and tight and has hardly budged since I last reviewed it. This classic vintage will be remembered for its elegance and power, two seemingly contradictory traits that come magically together on rare occasions. This wine shows tightness at its core with snappy freshness and stacked aromas of forest fruit, violets and freshly tilled earth. I have expanded the drinking window with this second review of the wine.
Drink 2021 - 2045
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate (July 2019)
Subtle aromas of blackberries, olives, and bramble berries follow through to a full body with dense and chewy tannins that build on the palate. Hints of mushroom and Spanish cedar, too, are present. It needs time to soften.
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (November 2015)
About this WINE
Biondi-Santi
Biond-Santi remains a beacon for traditionally made Rosso and Brunello di Montalcino.The Greppo vineyards of the Biondi Santi family date back to the 1800s. Clemente Santi, nephew of Giorgio Santi, was the first to create red wines suitable for ageing, and his oenological techniques learnt through agriculture, chemistry and science were far more advanced than his peers.
Clemente’s knowledge was passed on to his nephew Ferruccio Biondi Santi, who skilfully continued to run the Greppo estate, and managed to keep production running after the First World War. In 1932 he was described as ‘the inventor of Brunello’.
The estate has been passed down through the family to this day, and is currently managed by Franco Biondi Santi, along with the help of his two children, who will eventually take on the business themselves.
Brunello del Greppo now has twenty five hectares dedicated to its production, and the traditional agronomy and cellaring practises are still used to give this grape its character and quality.
Biondi-Santi harvests early. The wines are subject to a long maceration period, in steel for the straight Brunello, and oak for the Riserva, and are then aged in large oak casks.
Brunello di Montalcino
Along with Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino is Tuscany's most famous DOCG and the region's boldest expression of Sangiovese. Located 30 miles south of Siena with the hilltop town of Montalcino as its epicentre, its 2,000 hectares of vines are naturally delimited by the Orcia, Asso and Ombrone valleys. Brunello is the local name for the Sangiovese Grosso clone from which Brunello di Montalcino should be made in purezza (ie 100 percent).
The Brunello di Montalcino DOCG has a whale-like shape: at its head, at 661 metres above sea level on ancient, stony galestro soils facing east and southeast lies the town of Montalcino, where the DOC was founded. As you follow the spine south towards the tail, the vineyards lose altitude – those around Colle Sant'Angelo are at 250 metres – while the soils become richer with iron and clay. Further east, in the shadow of the 1,734 metre Mont'Amiata lies the village of Castelnuovo dell'Abate where the vineyards are strewn with a rich mix of galestro, granitic, volcanic, clay and schist soil types.
Historically, the zone is one of Tuscany's youngest. First praised in 1550 by Leandro Alberti for the quality of its wines, it was Tenuta Il Greppo who bottled the inaugural Brunello di Montalcino in 1888. By 1929, the region had 925 hectares of vines and 1,243 hectares of mixed crops, while in 1932 it was decreed that only those wines made and bottled within the commune could be labelled as Brunello di Montalcino. Since then, the number of producers has risen from 11 in 1960 to 230 in 2006, while over the same period the vineyards have expanded from 1,000 hectares to 12,000. The region earned its DOC in 1966, and was upgraded to DOCG in 1980.
Brunello di Montalcino cannot be released for sale until five years after the harvest, or six years in the case of Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. During this time the wines should be aged for at least two years in oak, followed by at least four months in bottle (six months for Riservas); maximum yields are 55 hl/ha.
Rosso di Montalcino is declassified Brunello di Montalcino, released for sale 18 months after the harvest.
Recommended producers: Costanti, Fuligni, Lisini, San Giuseppe, Soldera, Cerbaiona
Sangiovese
A black grape widely grown in Central Italy and the main component of Chianti and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano as well as being the sole permitted grape for the famed Brunello di Montalcino.
It is a high yielding, late ripening grape that performs best on well-drained calcareous soils on south-facing hillsides. For years it was blighted by poor clonal selection and massive overcropping - however since the 1980s the quality of Sangiovese-based wines has rocketed upwards and they are now some of the most sought after in the world.
It produces wines with pronounced tannins and acidity, though not always with great depth of colour, and its character can vary from farmyard/leather nuances through to essence of red cherries and plums. In the 1960s the advent of Super Tuscans saw bottlings of 100% Sangiovese wines, as well as the introduction of Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon blends, the most famous being Tignanello.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
The Biondi Santi property is steeped in history, and following a degree in Oenology from Perugia University, the incumbent Franco Biondi Santi has taken on board the subtle art of wine-making learned at the side of his father whilst simultaneously seeking to expand the estate’s holdings.
Tasting note
The hugely anticipated 2010 vintage lives up to the expectations I have of this famed property. The nose is brooding but reveals notes of parmesan rind, dark fruit, forest floor and coffee bean. The palate is delicate yet concentrated, with a strong wild strawberry character, fine tannins, and a hint of leather. In the end, there is sweet fruit, freshness, and balance. The wine will age gracefully and should drink well for a few decades at least. 2010 Brunello is not to be omitted from one’s cellar, and there is no need to look further afield than this great estate for a superb example of a magical vintage.
Chris Pollington, Senior Account Manager, Berry Bros. & Rudd
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