1981 Fattoria dei Barbi Brunello di Montalcino

Community Tasting Notes (2) Avg Score: 90 points

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  10/19/2021 - forceberry wrote: 87 Points

  13% alcohol. Tasted in Barbi Brunello 2010-1968 vertical.
  
  Quite translucent, luminous and somewhat evolved maroon color with a thin, orange-yellow rim. Fragrant, somewhat evolved nose with aromas of wizened cherries and some dried dates, light mushroomy notes of porcini, ferrous nuances of raw meat, a little bit of old leather, a hint of dusty earth and a touch of rowanberry jam. The wine feels ripe, silky and dry on the palate with a medium body and relatively youthful flavors of crunchy cranberries and sour cherries, some ferrous notes of blood, a little bit of stony minerality, light metallic notes of rusty nails, a sappy hint of raspberry leaf and a touch of tobacco. The high acidity lends great sense of focus and structure to the wine, whereas the tannins feel relatively light and only very slowly pile up on the gums. The finish is crunchy, somewhat grippy and medium in length with flavors of crunchy cranberries and wild strawberries, some sour cherry bitterness, a little bit of something metallic, light smoky notes of tar, a hint of wizened raspberry and a sweet touch of dried red fruits.
  
  A surprisingly youthful and fresh Brunello that would've been very lovely if it weren't for the somewhat distracting metallic note, which seems to only grow towards the aftertaste. The wine came across as much more youthful than any other wine in the tasting, apart from 2010 and 1997 - many younger vintages felt much more evolved than this wine. The wine seems to be in a wonderful spot right now, although it's quite obvious that it can at least hold - if not even improve - for a good handful of years more. However, that metallic note does take its toll on the score, as it really distracts from the pleasure - without it my score would've been easily in the low-to-mid 90's. I hope that tinny nuance was just due to bottle variation and the other bottles of this 1981 don't have that same metallic off note.

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  11/17/2019 - acyso wrote: 93 Points

  Inaugural mensual 17th dinner (Nico Osteria) (Chicago, IL): Wow. There's this generalization I make about how sangiovese isn't the longest-lived grape, and that the older wines don't hold up well, but this is a clear exception. The nose is herbal with some dried fruit and a bit of potpourri, and also some really nice earth tones. Fully resolved on the palate, with some tertiary development. Amazing freshness and liveliness; a really special bottle.

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