Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2010
Valdicava

Our Score: 96

Among connoisseurs, 2010 is considered the best vintage so far for Brunello di Montalcino.

Organic pioneer Vincenzo Abruzzese, owner of Valdicava, makes no exception, defining 2010 “the perfect vintage” for Montalcino.

I agree in the sense that this vintage of Brunello di Montalcino Valdicava brings together the elegance and the austere strength, the balance and the potential for aging. At the nose it starts with an inky note integrated with currants, fresh herbs such as sage and mint, moving to geranium, bay leaves, juniper, wet stones and a touch of leather. At the palate it is at the same time easy to drink and powerful, the elegant tannins in perfect harmony with the fruit and the sapidity, and then again the fruit, with a crispy, dry long finish. This is the traditional style Brunello (aged in large barrels), with a great potential for aging even if it is ready to enjoy now. It’s one of the few bottles I suggest to buy and store, because this vintage will disappear from the market soon.

I strongly suggest to open it at least 3 hours before drinking it.

Grape: Sangiovese

Pairing: Wild boar casserole, three-meat agnolotti in butter sage sauce, any BBQ dinner, or pasta alla Norma (eggplants, onion, tomato sauce and ricotta salata).

Appellation: Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Italy
Brunello di Montalcino DOCG has to be made 100% with Sangiovese grapes alone, and made only within the Montalcino municipality area; it can be sold in the market from January 1 of its fifth year after harvest. Until that moment, the wine cannot legally be called Brunello di Montalcino (not even in the cellar): it is simply "red wine to become Brunello di Montalcino DOCG".

For example, the 2020 harvest will be sold starting January 1, 2025. During this long period of “becoming Brunello,” the wine should mature for at least two years in wood barrels and at least four months in the bottle.
The Riserva should age at least twelve more months—with six of them spent in the bottle.