originally posted by Anders Gautschi:
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
Just to mention here, where the interested may see it:
2006, from my limited sample set, may well deserve the hype regarding the strength of the vintage for Brunello di Montalcino. I've had a few very convincing examples.
the hype is only partially deserved imho. many point out the late harvest as a positive factor, but this was mainly a cause because of late burgeoning so there was no particularly long ripening phase. september was marked by two weeks of very hot winds from africa, which closed down many of the young vines and gave a pruney character to many wines. the acids however remained very high.
i have tasted few wines in the bottle but from what i saw in the vineyards and tasted from barrels the real successes may be limited to the higher levelled vineyards around sant'angelo in colle and to the cooler climates around montalcino as well as the north eastern part, while the major part around sant'angelo in colle and tavernelle rather suffered from the heat.
still, apart form bolgheri and some spots that got rain before harvest, the year 2006 in tuscany seems to be a vintage that shows is virtues by its age and not its youth. and therefore, the comparative advantage of this vintage is indeed in and around monalcino.
