Exceptional Vintage For Brunello
Today, we’re bringing you one of the finest examples of the exceptional hand-crafted wines we travel the world to seek for you. The best growing seasons produce the best wines and this 2010 Casanuova delle Cerbaie Brunello di Montalcino is a must-have for Brunello enthusiasts. Here’s why. Robert Parker bestowed a 98-point rating on the “Extraordinary” 2010 vintage for Brunello, declaring it the “top vintage of the new millennium,” a perfect marriage of his two other favorite vintages, 2006 and 2007. This 2010 Casanuova delle Cerbaie is gorgeous aromatically, featuring an exquisite mix of plum, blackberry, cigar tobacco, and leather, on a rich and seductive mid-palate, filled with crushed red and black fruits and a dash of spice. Predictably, prices have soared and bargains vanished thanks to the appellation’s rampant inflation—save for brilliant exceptions like today. $75 on release. $68 from WineAccess. 94 points from James Suckling. If you’re a Brunello collector, the math couldn’t be simpler.
The monumental 2010 Brunellos arrived to a deafening chorus of praise, but none echoed louder than Robert Parker’s emphatic summation: “2010 is the top Brunello di Montalcino vintage of the new millennium because it shows the best traits of my other two favorite vintages, 2006 and 2007, in tandem. It beautifully combines the freshness, structure, linearity and aging potential of 2006 with the intensity, opulence, balsam distinctiveness and tannic richness of 2007.”
In other words, in the case of this deep, dark, brooding 2010 powerhouse from Casanuova delle Cerbaie, you get it all!
If one was ever to write a vintage script for Brunello di Montalcino, 2010 would be difficult to improve upon. Spring was wet and pretty cold, delaying flowering and slowing the vegetative cycle. Summer then turned cool, absent the heat spikes that blistered clusters in the summer of 2009. From June to late August, little rain fell. Then, as if on cue, perfectly timed showers in the last week of August refreshed the vines, erasing any vestige of hydric stress. September was again warm and dry, but with hot days and cool nights, a dramatic diurnal temperature shift that much explains both the intense concentration of the vintage and the ripe, rich tannins.
Casanuova delle Cerbaie, located a little south of the village of Montalcino, has a reputation for producing beautifully structured, sleek Brunellos. Some of its 37 manicured acres stretch onto one of the region’s most famous sites: the world-renowned Montosoli hill. Here, the altitude shields the vineyards from fog and frost, while cool breezes and a dry, sunny microclimate provide ideal conditions for crafting soft, sumptuous Tuscan reds. The ancient limestone, marl, and gravel soils offer superb drainage and lend the wines their mineral depth.
James Suckling, perhaps Tuscany’s most influential critic, came out blasting. “Full-bodied, extremely soft textured and succulent,” declared the former Wine Spectator European bureau chief. Suckling called the 94-point effort a “very balanced” and “pretty” specimen of the vintage.
Just 36 cases for the fortunate few who make it to the “Buy” button early.
- Wine Access Wine Team
