April 15, 2024 - Very pretty and expressive raspberry and cherry notes. Nice purity
February 27, 2024 - A fresh, energetic red, boasting black cherry, blackberry, iron, rosemary and stone flavors. Reveals assertive tannins that ply the long finish for now, but this is all about balance and definition. Shows terrific length.
February 15, 2024 - Tasted at Wine & Spirits Top 100, NYC. Again, I suspect this taste was from a bottle just opened with little to no aeration… 2017 was a very tough vintage in Montalcino but this was really non-descript, tannic and unyielding. With a small taste in a crowded group setting, I couldn’t ascertain much about this…not rated.
December 6, 2023 - The wines of Biondi Santi, with Federico Radi (Zoom tasting): Wine 2: Tasting sample mailed by a wine retailer for a video tasting with Federico Radi, Viticulture and Winemaking Director at Biondi Santi. No Riserva was produced in 2017, everything went into the regular Brunello di Montalcino. 13.5% ABV. Medium ruby colour. Floral notes, red fruit, black cherry, plum, earth, spices, some tobacco, sandalwood, and balsamic notes, with good acidity, ripe, round tannin, and very good length. Some dryness from the tannin. Riper than the Rosso di Montalcino 2020, but still fresh. Competently made. The ripeness suggests that this might not be the longest lived vintage of Biondi Santi Brunello di Montalcino, but I might be mistaken. Time will tell. 91(?)
November 9, 2023 - Wow does that smell great now. And darn does that drank as well.
October 16, 2023 - Wine & Spirits Top 100 Wineries Tasting Event - Quick Impressions - Oct 11: Fig & black cherry, seamlessly layered with secondary lavender, clove, anise and mushroom. Expansive and elegant, finely structured and very long.
October 12, 2023 - fruit is not ripe enough. scored 2016 96 pts
September 22, 2023 - Shows some cherry wood. Odd, everything is smelling cherry wood right now. Tight on the palate, on day two.
April 21, 2023 - Biondi Santi Tasting (Tudor Hall, King George Hotel): Double decanted, concrete + stainless steel, then slavonian oak for 24 to 30 months, 6 year release
A difficult harvest, no reserva for 2017 but declassified to brunello, 13.5% with the average alcohol for the region being 15-15.5%
The wine shows clear pale color
The wine is again very fragrant, floral notes, ripe but also fresh red cherries, currants, less spicy than Rosso 2019. This has a deeper fruit core, with time you get a sweet spice note like cinnamon or nutmeg.
Palate is very light almost ethereal, fragrant, fresh cherries and currants, you get the alcohol more, the oak is more upfront, the acidity is more obvious too, crunchy texture, the body is fuller, med finish