Vinous by Antonio Galloni: “Montalcino is experiencing a renaissance”. At the top Il Marroneto

The 2016 vintage of Brunello di Montalcino, already widely celebrated, finds another consecration, that of Vinous, the magazine founded in 2014 by Antonio Galloni, who, in the tastings of his responsible for Italy, Eric Guido, outlines a vintage destined to go down in history. With many wines capable of achieving important scores, but only one, the Brunello di Montalcino Madonna delle Grazie 2016 from Il Marroneto, with 99/100. A wine that Eric Guido defines “in a few words, fascinating. You could lose yourself in this vivid spectacle of ripe berries, mint and orange peel, dark red fruit, purple flowers, notes of lavender and sage (...) A classic in the making and one of the most complete young Brunello I have ever tasted”. But it is only the summit of a vintage that the Italian editor of Vinous recounts as the great vintage that was missing from 2010, able to give wines “obscure but radiant, expressive, sometimes almost explosive, but pure, balanced and structured”. Wines capable of “capturing the imagination, and no matter how young they are today: I can’t remember the last time I tasted young Montalcino wines that possessed such symmetry from beginning to end. The best part is that this success has been widely spread throughout the territory, finding a convincing bottle of Brunello di Montalcino 2016 will not be difficult for any consumer”.
And then, another aspect that emerges from Eric Guido’s tastings, is the quality of the work in the vineyard, which is substantiated in the cru and in the company selections, but also in the limits of those who relied more on the goodness of the vintage and the work in the cellar than on the attention between the rows. Returning to the glass, which also brought to the attention the Reserve 2015, excellent impressions also from Brunello di Montalcino 2016 by Fuligni and Brunello di Montalcino La Casaccia 2016 by Canalicchio di Sopra, at 98 points. At 97 points there are the labels of Talenti, Castello Romitorio, Le Chiuse, Livio Sassetti Pertimali, Il Poggione and Le Ragnaie, plus the Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2015 of Le Chiuse di Sotto - Gianni Brunelli.
“I have never seen the denomination as alive as it is today - concludes Eric Guido - driven by the young winemakers and the open-mindedness of an old generation that is slowly entrusting them with the responsibilities. I dare say: a renaissance of the present day”.