2004 Brunello di Montalcino, Cerbaiona, Tuscany, Italy

2004 Brunello di Montalcino, Cerbaiona, Tuscany, Italy

Product: 20048027919
Prices start from £1,150.00 per case Buying options
2004 Brunello di Montalcino, Cerbaiona, Tuscany, Italy

Buying options

Available by the case In Bond. Pricing excludes duty and VAT, which must be paid separately before delivery. Storage charges apply.
Case format
Availability
Price per case
6 x 75cl bottle
BBX marketplace BBX 1 case £1,150.00
1 x 300cl jeroboam
BBX marketplace BBX 1 case £1,300.00
New To BBX
New To BBX
You can place a bid for this wine on BBX

Description

Given the tiny size of the estate, all 3 hectares of it, little wonder only 8000 bottles were made of this statuesque wine. Compared to a more sensual wine from Stella's San Giuseppe estate to the south-west, Cerbaiona's high easterly aspect, combined with a hands-off traditional botte approach, makes for a profoundly structured, cool compact yet oh so suave black cherry, licorice, & wild herb compote that will take years to unravel; expect to drink from 2014 onwards. Montalcino's finest? We think so.

wine at a glance

Delivery and quality guarantee

Critics reviews

Antonio Galloni, Vinous97
The estate’s 2004 Brunello di Montalcino is simply extraordinary. Enticing layers of mint, violets, black cherries, menthol and minerals lead to an explosive core of fruit. The wine continues to grow in the glass, showing off its first-class pedigree. Amazingly pure, textured and rich, this vivid, chiseled Brunello dazzles from start to finish, where balsamic notes make a final appearance. If forced to drink only one wine from Montalcino, I might very well choose Diego Molinari’s sumptuous Brunello. This is an incredible wine! Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024.
97/100 points - Antonio Galloni – Vinous.com – June 2009
Read more
Wine Advocate97/100
The estates 2004 Brunello di Montalcino is simply extraordinary. Enticing layers of mint, violets, black cherries, menthol and minerals lead to an explosive core of fruit. The wine continues to grow in the glass, showing off its first-class pedigree. Amazingly pure, textured and rich, this vivid, chiseled Brunello dazzles from start to finish, where balsamic notes make a final appearance. If forced to drink only one wine from Montalcino, I might very well choose Diego Molinaris sumptuous Brunello. This is an incredible wine! Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024.
Antonio Galloni - 30/06/2009 Read more

About this WINE

Cerbaiona, Tuscany

Cerbaiona, Tuscany

Tucked away off the Torronieri road the small Cerbaiona estate has been home to Diego & Nora Molinari since 1977, who produced their first vintage in 1980, all 70 bottles of it!

The estate comprises 3 hectares of vines & 12 ha of wood and olive grove; half planted to Brunello, the rest to Sant'Antimo and IGT Toscana (using Cabernet Sauvignon, Malvasia Nera, Merlot & Syrah). Production is limited to 8,000 bottles.

Lying on the north-eastern shoulder of the Montalcino commune the estate enjoys a fine eastern exposition at 390 metres elevation, with good aeration & galestro/alberese clay soils. This imbues the wines with a naturally good acidity. Diego does not use herbicides, pesticides or fungicides on his vines. This hands-off approach is reflected in their tiny winery, which is bolted onto the back of the 16th century property. A wooden press is preferred, followed by gentle vinification in cement & ageing/invecchiamento in 20hl slavonian botte.

The Brunello spends 30 mths in oak, followed by a year in bottle pre-release, while the Rosso sees 18 mths.

Find out more
Brunello di Montalcino

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.

While Brunello di Montalcino's climate is mildly Mediterranean, thanks to the sea being a mere 20 miles away, the elevation of the vineyards provides an important diurnal temperature variation (ie hot days and cool nights). This benefits the grapes by maintaining acidity levels and extending their ripening time. The howling tramontana wind can also play an important role in drying and concentrating the fruit.

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

Find out more
Sangiovese

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.

Find out more