2001 Le Gode Brunello di Montalcino

• By Stephen Tanzer
  July/August 2006, IWC Issue #127, (See more on Vinous...)

  (Le Gode Brunello di Montalcino) Login and sign up and see review text.

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  2/19/2008, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (LE GODE Brunello) 2001 Brunello Dear Friends, This is one of those special wines that defies a trend or style - it impressed me the first time I tasted it last summer in Italy (against a host of 2000 Bordeaux and the 1998 Ornellaia - where it was the wine of the night) and again last night when I was able to enjoy its evolution over several hours. If you are looking for top value in a vintage that has become very expensive, this wine is VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - it gets little publicity in the US, which has kept the price near the bottom of the Brunello money chain. Compared to something like the 2001 Valdicava , this wine sings the praise of reality - a true Brunello pressed of bricky, red cherry fruit from a by-gone era that should ultimately surpass the show-wines like the Valdicava. The Le Gode reminds me of the 1988 Leoville-Las-Cases - a stately, elegant wine that had ripeness and color in youth but aged like a piece of stone for the first 10-15 years. For the $20 release price, it was a terrific investment - the 2001 Le Gode should prove to be similar. After tasting (and drinking) it last night, I started the search this morning but the wine is not what I would call widely available. It’s not owned by a corporate megalith (Antinori), it’s not mass distributed (Banfi) and they only made a few hundred cases of the 2001 - a vintage in Brunello like 2005 Bordeaux that they could sell with one hand tied behind their back. I finally found a small stash (I almost gave up) and I believe you will be very glad I did. This wine has the lost art of subtlety as its signature with layered tannins that blossom with air like the first tulips in spring - in a yin/yang of sorts, it is almost thick with southern unformed extract but it does so in the most elegant of ways. It has excellent buried acidity (with an interesting citrus rind aromatic) coupled with 1990 Brunello-like depth and the slight maple tones of the 1982 Right Bank Bordeaux vintage. In a nutshell, it has something for everyone - except showy fruit and massive oak. It should be very interesting to watch this wine age over the next 10-20 years and it is even better than some of the $100-150 Riserva bottles of 2001 Brunello out there. If you crave some of the classic vintages of Bordeaux (pre 1990) meshed with 1982 or 1990 Tuscany, this is your wine. While I hope the score is irrelevant here (keep the “+” in mind), Tanzer really captures the essence of this wine with a very precise palate. As usual, his review is dead-on perfect for the style of this classic old-world effort (which has become a dying breed in Montalcino). VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED as a real wine without the tricks, slathered oak or massive alcohol that has taken Brunello is a very unfavorable direction over the last 5-10 years. ONE SHIPMENT ONLY with perfect provenance 2001 Le Gode Brunello di Montalcino (IWC89+) Please give us your maximum number up to 6 and we will allocate accordingly Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Italy6080