Montalcino Report

A Tuscan Rainbow (And Bizarre Weather)

After a weekend of fair weather, yesterday (Monday) we had a yet a little bit of rain and a sudden drop in the temperatures up to 10° C.

This fact is not good for either the vines or the olive groves.

The plants are in this moment in the most critical period: blooming. This a delicate moment for the plant because the rainfall and the jumps in temperature can create damage to the setting, in other words, the passage from pollinated flower to fruit.

Unfortunately, the weather is bizarre this year. We pass from 25° C. to 10° C., something anomalous for the period. But we cannot do anything concrete save for hoping that the plant reacts in the best of ways.

Re-Tasting The Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2004 Vigna Paganelli

As we often do, we have recently re-acquired a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2004 Vigna Paganelli on the market and we have tasted it together with a bottle taken from our temperature-controlled warehouse where we store the bottles before they are sold.

The opening of the bottle a few hours before tasting in part made the aromas open and emerge from the glass: hints of leather, asphalt, licorice, menthol, and dark fruit.

In hte mouth, a sweetness and a richness of fruit well integrated with hints of French wood and an excellent acidity that supports and gives structure to the wine.

This is really a very great vintage that we will re-taste and enjoy, who knows?, fifty years from now.

These controls serve the guarantee the quality of the wines that we sell and that often reamin in the cellars of our clients for many, many years.

Weather Update 2012: "A Little Bit Crazy" Springtime

This year it's been for roughly two months that we have been having a "little bit crazy" spring where in just a few hours, the temperatures pass from 30° C. to 18° C. and there is snow on the mountains. It seems that we will have to wait until the end of the month in order to have fair weather.

Also yesterday, as it happens almost every day, in the afternoon it began to rain and it continued for all the night and even the morning of today. The forecasts predict rain also for today and tomorrow, with temperatures of 5° C. below the seasonal averages: more than a springtime, it seems as if we have returned to the autumn. Beginning in the middle of next week, it seems that the fair weather will return with temperatures rising and in line with seasonal averages.

The countryside had and still has need of the rain which has been missing in the autumn and in the winter. But this continuous inclement weather, especially with the great amount of rain here, is slowing our works and is creating health problems for the plants with the risk of developing fungal diseases like peronospora and oidium. And for this reason, the necessity of enacting numerous treatments together with the lowering of the temperatures and the rain, these elements could compromise the setting of the grapes and the olives in the vegetative cycle.

One meteorologist has compared the climate of the beginning of this year to that of 1985: if it were thus, this year we would have a five-star vintage — something that wouldn't be such a bad thing!

Il Poggione 2007 Brunello di Montalcino "Rich But Classy" by Jancis Robinson

Tenuta Il Poggione 2007 Brunello di Montalcino (17/20)

Dark ruby with orange-tinged rim. Savoury, and dense nose. Reluctant to show fruit. Grippy fruit palate. Great effort for the vintage. Rich, indeed, but classy. (Walter Speller)

Herewith the article: http://www.jancisrobinson.com/tasting_articles/ta20120305.html

Weather Report: Anomalous Ups And Downs

Also this year the climatic progression has been full of ups and downs (and that's putting it gently). We have had at least once a week rains of medium intensity of 20-25 millimeters and temperatures much above the average with highs that grazed 30° C.

Yesterday it has rained with strong, cold winds that have lowered the minimum temperature all the way to 6° C., anomalous for this period.

In the last days, the combination of rains and high temperatures have made for the development of not only the vegetation of the vines and for this year, we were forced to intervene by enacting anti-fungal treatments against peronospora and oidium. But the combination has also caused the grasses to develop.

In this perspective, because we are forced to contain its growth, we are cutting the grasses in the connected inter rows and the other inter rows as well. (Photos above and below.)

The grasses are important because in the springtime period, they allow us to have in the vineyard an accessible surface for the tractors also in the case of abundant rainfall and ofr this reason it gives us the possibility to enter into the vineyard to make the treatments. (Photo below.)

In the new vineyards, with the perspective of a minimal or even zero utilization of degrassing, the weeds are still removed utilizing manual labor with the plough. (Photo below.)

In the vineyards, the work of topping the buds is done by hand while the machines remove those that have grown on the trunks. (Photo below.)

Why Red Wine Is Good For You

Reading an Italian magazine, I discover that Italian researchers at the University of Bari and Rome have discovered that red wine is also good for your teeth; an anti-cavity ally because it performs anti-bacterial actions against oral pathogens, in other words, the bacteria respsonsible for the problems that can be caused in the mouth. Red wine, they found, helps by attacking their adhesive capacity.

The ancient Romans used to say, in vino veritas, but they knew there was much more: because they knew there also a good dose of healthiness in what was considered the nectar of the Gods in the classical era.

As we know, red wines are rich in polyphenols, and, for example, resveratrol is one of the powerful antioxidants that combats the harm brought on by stroke. And in terms of the heart, polyphenols prevent deposits in the arteries and the formation of plaque; while in terms of the digestion, again, the polyphenols reduce the accumulation of unhealthy substances in fatty foods.

Lastly, we should also remember how in countries like the U.S. and Finland, heart attack mortalities are 4-5 times greater than those in France and Italy, where the consumption of wine is roughly 10 times greater.

Italian wines contain double the amount of antioxidant substances as do products from California and they contain 4 times the amount of those found in French wines.

But these observations must not lead to excessive consumption.

—Fabrizio Bindocci, winemaker

Sample Monitoring Of Our Corks From Sardinia

As happens often in order to have tranquility for us and for our beloved clients, we make a sample monitoring of the corks searching for cork problems (T.C.A.).

We have cut into slices 30 corks and we have soaked them in an alcoholic solution (alcohol and water) for 24 hours at 30° C.

After this, we have smelled the odor to understand if there was a problem of cork.

We have not found any odor of cork and this is a sign that our friends who supply us with corks from Sardinia have done a good job and have given us excellent corks to seal our Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino.

Wild Orchids In The Vineyards

Last week, we had some heavy rainfall that has defied the risk of drought. The temperatures had lowered by many degrees and in the mornings we had minimum temperatures of 6-8° C.

A springtime day followed the rain as did a notable increase of temperatures and fair weather.

The vegetation of the vineyards had been stopped because of the cold but it is now restarted and is growing.

We have made a first treatment of the vines utilizing an oxycloride of copper and dissolvable sulfur.

Walking through the vines to monitor their health status, I have happened upon wild orchid plants in the middle of a vineyard. This made me very happy because it is a sign that the attention we have paid to the environment utilizing low environmental-impact products is giving excellent results (photo above).

Moreover, after the works for planting new vines, we are re-naturalizing the embankments with types of plants that come from the Mediterranean maquis so as to have an alternation between vines, crops, and strips of forest that divide the fields from one another and create refuge and shelter for the animals (photo below).

Fabrizio Bindocci, winemaker

@AntonioGalloni "The 2007 Brunello di Montalcino is flat-out sexy."

The ratings on our wines from The Wine Advocate by Robert Parker have just been released.

The Wine Advocate - Nr. 200 / April 2012

It’s hard to know where to start with these new releases from Il Poggione, as every wine I tasted was strikingly beautiful. This is a great showing from father and son team Fabrizio and Alessandro Bindocci. Il Poggione’s Brunello di Montalcino remains one of the most fairly priced, ageworthy wines on the planet. Readers may want to take a look at my video interview with Alessandro Bindocci posted on www.erobertparker.com for more on Il Poggione.

Rosso di Montalcino 2010 - 91 Points

The 2010 Rosso di Montalcino captures the essence of this great Montalcino vintage. An elegant, expressive bouquet gives way to layers of vibrant fruit in this energetic, totally polished Rosso. After several years of experimenting with a more accessible style of Rosso, Il Poggione has moved back to making the firm, structured style of Rosso for which the estate is famous. Fabrizio and Alessandro Bindocci showed me their 2010 Rosso after all the Brunellos from vintages 2006-2010, plus several older vintages including 1983, 1991, 1998 and 2003. No matter, the 2010 Rosso was great. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2030.

Brunello di Montalcino 2007 - 94 Points

The 2007 Brunello di Montalcino is flat-out sexy. Layers of dark red fruit caress the palate in this round, voluptuous Brunello. Sweet roses, violets, mint and spices appear later, adding further complexity. The 2007 boasts striking inner perfume, radiant fruit and silky, super-refined tannins. Readers are going to have a hard time keeping their hands off this extraordinary wine. As great as the 2007 is today, it will be even better in a few years’ time. This is a fabulous showing from Il Poggione. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2037.

Brunello di Montalcino 2006 Riserva Vigna Paganelli - 97 Points

The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Paganelli is huge, powerful and totally implosive. The seductive allure of the 2007 is nowhere to be found. Instead, the 2006 is built on a serious spine of formidable tannin and dark red/black fruit. Hints of tar, licorice, rose petals and tobacco inform the powerful, virile finish. The 2006 is going to require considerable patience, but it is clearly a jewel of a wine, even at this early stage. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2046.

Brunello di Montalcino 2007 Riserva Vigna Paganelli - 96 + Points

The 2007 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Paganelli is a huge wine bursting with fruit. Powerful tannins provide the backdrop as the 2007 shows off its dazzling power and density. Rarely have sensuality and structure been so evident in a young Brunello. The 2007 is going to require considerable patience but it is a stunning wine. The long, explosive finish is utterly captivating. Anticipated maturity: 2022-2047.

 

 

An 1937 Description of Brunello di Montalcino

We have discovered this catalog for a exhibition of wines held in Italy in 1937. And we have translated the "voce" for Brunello di Montalcino below. It is very interesting to read.

Brunello Montalcino (Tuscany)

Wine of great class, reminiscent of the best Burgundy, for its delicious aroma, for its velvety texture, for its generosity, and for the perfect harmony among its components.

This nectare, which is produced in Montalcino (a historic castle that was once the last outpost of the Republic of Siena), is bright, red-garnet in color, with delicate notes of violet, delicious on the palate, with a dry, tonic taste and alcohol content from 12.5-13%. It is a wine that warms and restores you and for this reason, it is suited for those who work with their brains, the elderly, and those recovering from illness. It will give the drinker a sensation of new life. It is a wine that should be drunk after at least 3 or 4 years of aging because as a young wine, it is ungraceful, sharp, and unharmonious. It fares well in prolonged aging, which refines it and perfects its velvety character, its aroma, and its smoothness on the palate.

It is greatest flavor and its exquisite properties are expressed when paired with roast game, especially spit-roasted thrush with olives. It should be served at a temperature of 18-20° in a transparent chaliced crystal glass, with a small bulge and thin lip. It is wine for fine dining.