Some 2003 Brunellos That Transcend the Vintage

Western Europe’s brutally hot summer of 2003 often had the effect of burning the skins of the sangiovese grapes in Montalcino before the fruit ripened thoroughly, resulting in wines with a roasted character or dry-edged tannins. Many other wines retain adequate freshness but show an unusually sweet and sometimes liqueur-like fruit character and atypical fleshiness that will give them considerable early appeal. For those who love scented, slow-to-evolve Brunellos with high-pitched fruit and floral aromas, medium body and a more subtle sweetness, here are some classically styled 2003s that almost magically sidestepped the excesses of the vintage.