Tuesday 8 January 2013

In Search of Brunello di Montalcino´s Soul - Chapter X


This is an old estate in Montalcino, going back to the 17th century, when it was owned by countesses, passed down from generation to generation.
Then a big time jump, to 1985 when the then estate manager Giuseppe Bianchini took over the estate. He was the one that started to bottle the Pianrosso, from a 12 hectar vineyard, separately and the 1988 below was one of the first vintages.
More info here - http://www.ciaccipiccolomini.com/

2003 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna di Pianrosso, Ciacci Piccolomini d´Aragona
A upfront, warm, sweet nose with notes of cherry pie, violet pastills, leather, balsa wood, grounded coffee and a fine note of warm summer flowers. There is a lot of warmth here, but it manages to keep it on the right side of things. Very good.
The taste is big, dense and sweet with notes of cherry liqueur, warm herbs, violets, licorice, chocolate covered cherries and a warm gravel road. The finish is long, warm and ripe. The tannins shows upp in the finish and makes a nice mark of themselves. I bet this could improve with 3-5 years in the cellar to get rid of some of the puppy fat.
90p   (tasted 2012/12)

1988 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna di Pianrosso, Ciacci Piccolomini d´Aragona
A deep, mature, fine nose with notes of dried red cherries and lingonberries, violets, pipe tobacco, rose petals, warm herbs and some stable notes. A lovely maturity; sweet, round and fine.
The taste is mature, warm and with the right amount of stringency between the matured sweet fruit and the dusty mature tannins. A big, sweet cherry fruit fills the mouth with additional notes of autumn leaves, old chocolate, violets and the dust from a Tuscan gravel road. A lovely warmth in the finish. In a perfect place now, this isn´t for keeping longer.
91p   (tasted 2012/12)



The bottle below was tasted in Como, Italy during the summer of 2012.
2001 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna di Pianrosso, Ciacci Piccolomini d´Aragona
A big, complex, hauntingly beautiful nose with notes of ripe red cherries, warm herbs, tobacco, almonds and veal meat. Very, very deep. This has started to mature and is full of vigour and charm. Just stunning.
The taste is big, powerful and intense with gorgeous notes of sweet and sour cherries, licorice, herbs, chocolate covered cherries and violets. A wonderful sweetness. The finish is long, warm with finely polished tannins. This is a delicious wine but I guess it can become even more stunning in 3-5 years time. At night, sitting on a restaurants porch, looking out over lake Como and drinking this, I may have added one point for the ambience...:-)
94p   (tasted 2012/07)

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