2001 Fattoria dei Barbi Brunello di Montalcino
Regular Price $65, E-Mail Special $44.99 With Free Shipping On Six Or More Bottles
There has been a Cinelli-Colombini at the helm of Fattoria Barbi since 1790 but current owner, the affable Stefano, will remind you that his family has been growing wine in Montalcino since 1352! And even though Stefano views himself more as a member of the younger generation of Brunello producers and is known within the trade as a technical innovator, the wines made at Barbi are traditional, classic Old School expressions of Brunello. (This is not a property where you have to worry about Syrah mysteriously appearing in the blend or meeting a tank truck from Sicily in the driveway!)
I was asking around for some mature Brunello to add to our restaurant wine list and discovered this cache of Barbi's excellent 2001. Not only that, the importer was willing to make a deal on a quantity of it so, not only will it once again appear on PRIMA's wine list, I have enough to sell you some too! The wine, though still early on its ascent towards maturity, is actually showing really well right now with a great Sangiovese nose of brown spices (cloves, cardamom), dense black cherry and loamy black earth. Decanting definitely helps flesh out the wine's mid-palate and rounds out the still youthful tannin. If one were to exhibit even a small amount of patience, the reward would be a classically styled, wonderfully drinking 2001 Brunello purchased for a song!
Robert Parker: The 2001 Brunello di Montalcino, a dark ruby, displays a perfumed nose along with dark fruit and scorched earth nuances on a structured, long frame supported by building tannins. Made in a style that is at once delicate and powerful, today it comes across as backward and austere in its expression. As it sits in the glass it continues to put on considerable weight, but ideally several years of cellaring are called for. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2021. 91 points
Steven Tanzer: Deep red-ruby. Primary aromas of blueberry, graphite, cherry cola and sweet rooty sassafras. High-pitched, tightly wound and concentrated, with vibrant flavors of blackberry, bitter chocolate and spices. Boasts good density and impressive youthful energy, but this is not a particularly lush or sweet style. Finishes with good breadth, a fine dusting of tannins and late notes of leather and marzipan. I'd give this seven or eight years of additional aging. 90 points
Wine Spectator: Plenty of blackberry and cherry aromas follow through to a full-bodied palate with fine tannins and a long finish. Tight right now. Needs time to open. Best after 2008. 90 points
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