Had it all going on. Tea, tar, forest floor, dark cherry fruit. The brightness of the fruit and the sous bois of the other elements made this a special bottle. 25 years of age was perfect.
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This was in a nice stride. Well refined and just drank effortlessly. Popped and let it sit for about an hour. The nose was aromatic with red berries, cedar, light vanilla, some leather at the start. Added some herb notes later. On the front it was so smooth, stewed berries, cocoa powder, silky texture and well balanced. The tannins and acid all playing nice, nothing overpowering. The ending was a nice ride of berry and vanilla, zero bitterness I would think from the cocoa. Wish I had more.
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Well, a 1997 Brunello Riserva = check! Seriously a perfectly 20+ aged Sangiovese from a perfect vintage and a solid producer. Delightful! A perfect cork which had an immediate floral aroma that was completely earthy with a chalk line finesse. I’m a Brunello Superfan... this unique vino simply confirms everything I believe. A winner!
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For a 1997 Brunello Riserva, I was somewhat surprised, based on CellarTracker estimates, this was at the end of its drinking window. Because this was my only bottle, and I was enjoying Penne Pasta in tomato based red sauce, and sun dried tomatoes topped with baked stuffed scallops, tonight seemed to be just as good as any to enjoy this wine. First experience with this particular producer, although research leads me to believe they have a long, solid track record of producing great Brunellos and Rossos.
Pulled from a 55 degree cellar, cork was still in relatively good shape; stood up for 30 minutes and poured into a small Riedel decanter. Signs of slight to moderate bricking around the edges, but the wine was still a dark, opaque, ruby color with a medium plus texture.
Classic Brunello: big aromatics of oak spice, red flowers, dried leather, roasted meat, red berries, and old cedar chest. Layered flavors on the palate of spicy, dried red berries; old leather; dark, unsweetened baking chocolate; tart, cherry cough drops; cedar mulch; and a mix dried herbs. Tannins, acidity, and fruit all seem to be in balance and conducive to further cellaring. Finishes very long, dry, and persistent. Light fine sediment at the bottom of the decanter.
Based on the great vintage, producer reputation, and my experience with this bottle, this should be able to drink well for another three to four years if cellared properly. Impressive right now.
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Sweet nose of sour cherry, leather and some horse sweat. Double decanted. A fair amount of sediment was thrown. Some bricking showing the age. Very fine tannins which are fully resolved, nice classic brunello, on the lighter side. I believe this is at its peak, and showed very nicely. Too bad it was completely upstaged by a '99 Soldera Riserva!
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Last of my 1997 Brunelli...I may cry... Brown, even for Brunello. Great nose, with a swirl. Leather, love the "burnt cherry" and "cranberries" descriptors, olive. Hint of cinnamon. There's still some acidity and tannin, but this is pretty mature: Drink now.
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Quite good but perhaps the fruit is a little gone. Tart cherry flavors with big notes of forest floor and tea. A good match with food but not really what I would call "delicious".
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Gorgeous, drinking perfectly right now. Needs a 45 minute decant. Velvet cherries, old leather, and well integrated wooden notes (but no oakiness). In my experience, the best Brunellos have at least 10 years of age of them, and this is no exception. Will gladly buy 2 more if I can find them.
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Nose: Leather is dominant, but I also get some strawberry. Maybe a hint of pork/meat? Taste: Cherries, a drop of well-integrated oak. Maybe cassis on the finish. Great mouthfeel, very smooth and easy to drink. Not a huge wine at all, but delicious right now.
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Decanted it for two hours. Well balanced wine. Velvetty with a long aftertaste. Still good acid. Drank my first bottle exact two years ago. This one is the best. Prums, cherry. Loved it. Wish I had more of this. Still years to go......
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a more lean showing. not tight.. just seemed like maybe the fruit has started to fade. I will put my other bottles on-deck to be drank this fall / winter. Still had nice structure and that sour sangio fruit.
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Perfect balance nicely matured varietally correct wine. A touch of bitter sweet orange rind, light leather, morrelino cherrieis, and a hint of woood. ..later one a bit of lavander appeared. I really wish this was a mag ... and I am very glad I have a few more.
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Very nice bottle. Double decanted for an hour, then brought to dinner. there was a fair amount of sediment thrown. The wine has all the classic notes one looks for in a BdM, nice red cherries, some leather and a touch of wood. All were showing in a very balanced fashion. Slight bricking at the rim and the color showed some age. With some time in glass this wine definately continued to improve, with more mature, dry dusty cherries coming more to the forefront.
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Popped and poured a glass to give this some air 2 hours before dinner. Color wqas a bit mature, towards the brickish and on the thinner looking side. Almost no fruit present on the nose and the first sip (had to see if it was good ... right?) was questionable. Very tight with old leather, old book and some wet wood. Came back an half hour later and fruit had showed up... not a lot but it was there. By the hour mark I was confident that this wine would be fine to serve, as more fruit had continued to show, and integrate with the leather very well. Turned out to be a very nicely balanced wine, with a sense of mature red bramble fruits, a light (oldish) leather (the picture of old well worn wrestling matts came to mind) and a very nice balance of acid and very fine tannins. When slurping there was an elegance to the cool fruit right in the middle of my tongue. This one was not a "big" brunello but it paired very well with dinner. Given an extra point for its' finess and balance. I have a feeling this would have done better if decanted for 4-6 hours.
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8/16/2022 - aagrawal wrote: 90 Points
Dinner with the wine group (Terun, Palo Alto): Aromatic, funky nose, tea leaves, tomatoes, mature; palate is medium bodied, integrated acid and alcohol; medium finish. 90
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7/16/2022 - BURGHen Boy Likes this wine: 96 Points
Had it all going on. Tea, tar, forest floor, dark cherry fruit. The brightness of the fruit and the sous bois of the other elements made this a special bottle. 25 years of age was perfect.
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10/21/2020 - LotionInTheBasket Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was in a nice stride. Well refined and just drank effortlessly. Popped and let it sit for about an hour. The nose was aromatic with red berries, cedar, light vanilla, some leather at the start. Added some herb notes later. On the front it was so smooth, stewed berries, cocoa powder, silky texture and well balanced. The tannins and acid all playing nice, nothing overpowering. The ending was a nice ride of berry and vanilla, zero bitterness I would think from the cocoa. Wish I had more.
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4/7/2018 - Nerdy Earth Boy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Well, a 1997 Brunello Riserva = check! Seriously a perfectly 20+ aged Sangiovese from a perfect vintage and a solid producer. Delightful! A perfect cork which had an immediate floral aroma that was completely earthy with a chalk line finesse. I’m a Brunello Superfan... this unique vino simply confirms everything I believe. A winner!
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11/5/2017 - Jeppy Does not like this wine: 75 Points
Past it’s prime and not really drinkable at this point.
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12/3/2016 - wmccone54 wrote: 94 Points
For a 1997 Brunello Riserva, I was somewhat surprised, based on CellarTracker estimates, this was at the end of its drinking window. Because this was my only bottle, and I was enjoying Penne Pasta in tomato based red sauce, and sun dried tomatoes topped with baked stuffed scallops, tonight seemed to be just as good as any to enjoy this wine. First experience with this particular producer, although research leads me to believe they have a long, solid track record of producing great Brunellos and Rossos.
Pulled from a 55 degree cellar, cork was still in relatively good shape; stood up for 30 minutes and poured into a small Riedel decanter. Signs of slight to moderate bricking around the edges, but the wine was still a dark, opaque, ruby color with a medium plus texture.
Classic Brunello: big aromatics of oak spice, red flowers, dried leather, roasted meat, red berries, and old cedar chest. Layered flavors on the palate of spicy, dried red berries; old leather; dark, unsweetened baking chocolate; tart, cherry cough drops; cedar mulch; and a mix dried herbs. Tannins, acidity, and fruit all seem to be in balance and conducive to further cellaring. Finishes very long, dry, and persistent. Light fine sediment at the bottom of the decanter.
Based on the great vintage, producer reputation, and my experience with this bottle, this should be able to drink well for another three to four years if cellared properly. Impressive right now.
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6/12/2013 - gzim Likes this wine: 92 Points
Sweet nose of sour cherry, leather and some horse sweat. Double decanted. A fair amount of sediment was thrown. Some bricking showing the age. Very fine tannins which are fully resolved, nice classic brunello, on the lighter side. I believe this is at its peak, and showed very nicely. Too bad it was completely upstaged by a '99 Soldera Riserva!
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3/15/2013 - BrunelloBob wrote: 91 Points
Last of my 1997 Brunelli...I may cry...
Brown, even for Brunello.
Great nose, with a swirl. Leather, love the "burnt cherry" and "cranberries" descriptors, olive. Hint of cinnamon. There's still some acidity and tannin, but this is pretty mature: Drink now.
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10/14/2011 - eporres wrote: 91 Points
Old leather and burnt cherries. Great color, fruit mellowed and muted, solid effort.
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1/2/2011 - jeremy_ross wrote: 88 Points
Drinking pretty well now. Definitely leads with leather, followed by cranberries, red apple skins, and some well integrated "old" oak.
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12/25/2010 - Zinny wrote: 87 Points
Quite good but perhaps the fruit is a little gone. Tart cherry flavors with big notes of forest floor and tea. A good match with food but not really what I would call "delicious".
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8/18/2010 - eporres wrote: 94 Points
Gorgeous, drinking perfectly right now. Needs a 45 minute decant. Velvet cherries, old leather, and well integrated wooden notes (but no oakiness). In my experience, the best Brunellos have at least 10 years of age of them, and this is no exception. Will gladly buy 2 more if I can find them.
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4/18/2010 - oog wrote: 93 Points
Nose: Leather is dominant, but I also get some strawberry. Maybe a hint of pork/meat? Taste: Cherries, a drop of well-integrated oak. Maybe cassis on the finish. Great mouthfeel, very smooth and easy to drink. Not a huge wine at all, but delicious right now.
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12/27/2008 - WilD wrote: 91 Points
Decanted it for two hours. Well balanced wine. Velvetty with a long aftertaste. Still good acid. Drank my first bottle exact two years ago. This one is the best. Prums, cherry. Loved it. Wish I had more of this. Still years to go......
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10/26/2008 - gzim wrote: 89 Points
a more lean showing. not tight.. just seemed like maybe the fruit has started to fade. I will put my other bottles on-deck to be drank this fall / winter. Still had nice structure and that sour sangio fruit.
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8/16/2008 - gzim wrote: 92 Points
Perfect balance nicely matured varietally correct wine. A touch of bitter sweet orange rind, light leather, morrelino cherrieis, and a hint of woood. ..later one a bit of lavander appeared. I really wish this was a mag ... and I am very glad I have a few more.
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6/6/2008 - gzim wrote: 90 Points
Very nice bottle. Double decanted for an hour, then brought to dinner. there was a fair amount of sediment thrown. The wine has all the classic notes one looks for in a BdM, nice red cherries, some leather and a touch of wood. All were showing in a very balanced fashion. Slight bricking at the rim and the color showed some age. With some time in glass this wine definately continued to improve, with more mature, dry dusty cherries coming more to the forefront.
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12/4/2007 - gzim wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured a glass to give this some air 2 hours before dinner. Color wqas a bit mature, towards the brickish and on the thinner looking side. Almost no fruit present on the nose and the first sip (had to see if it was good ... right?) was questionable. Very tight with old leather, old book and some wet wood. Came back an half hour later and fruit had showed up... not a lot but it was there. By the hour mark I was confident that this wine would be fine to serve, as more fruit had continued to show, and integrate with the leather very well. Turned out to be a very nicely balanced wine, with a sense of mature red bramble fruits, a light (oldish) leather (the picture of old well worn wrestling matts came to mind) and a very nice balance of acid and very fine tannins. When slurping there was an elegance to the cool fruit right in the middle of my tongue.
This one was not a "big" brunello but it paired very well with dinner. Given an extra point for its' finess and balance. I have a feeling this would have done better if decanted for 4-6 hours.
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