2011 Capanna Brunello di Montalcino is sold out.

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  • 94 pts Vinous
    94 pts Vinous
  • 95 pts Wine Enthusiast
    95 pts WE
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2011 Capanna Brunello di Montalcino 750 ml

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  • Get credited back if a wine fails to impress

2011 Capanna Brunello di Montalcino: 95pt Patience in Montosoli

P.S. We LOVED this wine.

From December 2010-March 2011, temperatures were much higher than usual in Montalcino, with barely a drop of rain or flake of snow. Bud-break and flowering came very early, and the beginning of summer signaled another departure from the norm. Typically warm and sunny in Montalcino, June was cool and cloudy.

In a decision that would dictate the fate of estates in 2011, some growers panicked and began dropping leaves and opening up canopies in the hopes of spiking maturity. At the 20-hectare Capanna estate situated in prized Montosoli, the Cencioni family opted for patience and left canopies intact, a decision that would pay enormous dividends.

Around August 10th, a blast of dry heat blew in from northern Africa. In just a few days, fully exposed clusters were scorched and, as nighttime highs hovered in the 80s, many vineyards suffered from dehydration. Capanna’s Sangiovese, sheltered by canopies that had been left intact, shrugged off the hydric stress. While neighbors rushed to pick blistered clusters, the winemaking couple felt no such urgency, and delayed the call to harvest. When that call was finally made, clusters had reached perfect phenolic maturity.

We loved this wine, a Brunello that seemed far more comfortable amidst a lineup of more sumptuously structured 2010s than 2011s, one of the darkest wines of the day. The nose featured an ethereal mix of black cherry, dark plum, and black raspberry, buttressed by Slavonian cask cedar. Rich, suave, and plush on the attack. Soft, pliant, and beautifully layered, filled with crushed-red-fruit preserves, all framed by round, dusty tannins. This is a beauty. Drink now-2028.

94 points from Galloni. 95 more and a “Cellar Selection” from Wine Enthusiast. $50 on release. $39.99 today on WineAccess, shipping included on 4. NOT TO BE MISSED.