Monica Larner and James Suckling: elegance and transparency in Brunello di Montalcino’s future

International critics have already very clearly expressed their opinions on the two exceptional vintages of Brunello di Montalcino, 2015 (on the market in the Vintage version since 2020, and, starting this year, also in the Riserva version), and 2016, crowning them two of the best ever vintages of one of the most prestigious and noble Italian wines. There is also another aspect that unites influential wine voices around the world, namely that of a territory that goes towards an increasingly refined stylistic code, capable of expressing the inimitability of Montalcino through its unique and unmistakable Sangiovese in purity. Two of the most influential names in International wine criticism will tell the story to WineNews - one from California, the other from Hong Kong, in a sort of “dialogue between two worlds” - Monica Larner, Italian signature of the renowned “The Wine Advocate” founded by Robert Parker, and James Suckling, one of the most popular names, especially in the increasingly important Asian market (both are the stars of a video interview that WineNews will host online, ed.). “There is certainly a definite change towards greater elegance and finesse in the wines of Montalcino. Somehow it is as if the territory had collected a sort of stylistic heritage from Franco Biondi Santi, who passed away in 2013, and who was like a father to Brunello di Montalcino (he made its history with Tenuta Greppo, where Brunello was created in the nineteenth century, ed.)”. “Today, Montalcino wines are generally more "transparent" than in the past”, said, from Hong Kong, James Suckling, who is also an honorary citizen of Montalcino, as well as an expert connoisseur. “There is less extraction of fruit and tannins, less wood, the wines tell more about where they come from, which is a change that has been taking place over the last 5-10 years, and is very beautiful and important. It is a great moment for Brunello di Montalcino”. The vision of the future of one of the top territories in the wine world, which rests on an illustrious history, and the present, as mentioned, made up of two great vintages. “It is a great moment for Brunello di Montalcino, with two excellent vintages; 2015, which has now been released as a Riserva, and 2016. The whole world is talking about them”, Suckling emphasized, “everyone wants to taste them and make comparisons, it's like the great vintages of Bordeaux. It is very important to have two vintages like this. It is interesting to make the comparison between the 2015 Riserva and the 2016 Vintage. The 2015 Riserva, like the 2015 Vintage, is characterized by beautiful fruit, very ripe tannins, an important acidity and it is also beautiful on the nose. The 2016 vintage has more structure, more tannin, is longer-lived, suitable for long aging for 20, 30 and even 50 years, while the 2015 can be drunk even younger, easily. But 2015, in any case, is also an aging year. Summarizing in one word, 2016 is “structure”, 2015 is “opulence”. “I defined the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino as “classic”, the 2015 Riserva as “showy”, and I defined these vintages as “bellwether”, adds Monica Larner, “a term that refers to the bell that is placed around the sheep's neck to understand where the flock is going, which is also a symbol of good omen for an excellent future. The reason is that we have two vintages giving us the opportunity to reflect on the future of the appellation. 2015 is warmer, sunny, more exuberant, while 2016 is much more direct, great cleanliness, mineral, an important structure, for long aging wines. Actually, both vintages are, but in particular, 2016 is, and everyone is already curious about the 2016 Riserva. It's interesting that there are these two great vintages right now, but that wasn't always the case. 2014, for example, was a challenging year. Then, we had 2015, excellent, but penalized because when it went on the market, the pandemic arrived and restaurants had to close, distribution was in crisis, and so on. Now there is a little more optimism, and it is important that both of these vintages, 2015 and 2016, are capable of lasting a long time, and giving stability to the market. And, they can also help the 2017 vintage, which was another complex year. But, we must also reflect on two themes: the importance of Rosso di Montalcino for the territory, and the growth of the selections of the single vineyards of Brunello di Montalcino, which can still grow as you get to know the area better and better. Plus, consumers in the world are increasingly attentive and demanding”. Meanwhile, tomorrow, tune in for the live broadcast of “Benvenuto Brunello Off 2021”, online and on social media, under the “direction” of the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino (10:30 am, on the Consortium website and on Facebook). Among the participants, there will be the “Divine” Federica Pellegrini, the award winning Olympic and world swimming champion, in the role of testimonial of the stars that will be awarded to the 2020 vintage (a truly excellent vintage, ed.). The most recent Brunello harvest, celebrated with the iconic tile signed by one of the most successful sportswomen ever, which reproduces her symbolic tattoo, the Phoenix, dating back to 2006, a challenging moment in her career, but then turned into a lucky charm.