| | An extensive tasting of the 1990 Brunello vintage that I collected myself.
All wines were served blind to everyone except myself. Just to get the juices flowing! - 1987 Vasco Sassetti Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Cherries and shoe polish on the nose with a certain sweetness to it. It also has a little forest floor and sewer.
Dark sweet fruit on the palate but it is quite weak in the flavors. Short aftertaste and overall just a bit boring. (85 pts.)
Flight 1 - "Hopefully they are good bottles" - 1990 Tenuta Col d'Orcia Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Singular and alcohol heavy on the nose with just a little cherries.
Comfortable fresh cherries on the palate with well-integrated tannins. Good acidity but not impressive.
Pleasant but still a bit dull. (88 pts.)
- 1990 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Loads of lead and iron on the nose but also some dried spices and a little gun powder. It does seem a little closed.
Light cherry flavors on the palate with a good acidity and structure. Minerals and good freshness.
Definitely the best bottle of this wine I have tried. (92 pts.)
- 1986 Lisini Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Nose: Cabbage and a little dirt and farts. Good depth with iron and forest floor.
Palate: Light plum style fruit with a mature structure. Delicious old wine that is well built. A little weak on the aftertaste. (90 pts.)
Flight 2 - Medium level expectations - 1990 Ruffino Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Tenuta Greppone Mazzi - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Very impressive nose with an intense dark young cherry fruit but also a little brown sugar.
Sweet dark plums on the palate with a bitter touch but a good balance and structure. Long acidic aftertaste.
Excellent and well-kept bottle. Really performed a lot better than expected :-) (94 pts.)
- 1990 Il Poggione (Proprietá Franceschi) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Nose: A little wood smoke, raspberry and a light cherry touch.
Sweet and still young dark cherry fruit and a wine that is really tasty. Still quite young and there is still a lot of life left.
However, it is very approachable and will most likely not improve.. (93 pts.)
- 1990 Il Poggione (Proprietá Franceschi) Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Still a very young nose on this wine filled with dark plum like fruit but also some iron, coffee, medicine and dried spices.
Dark but elegant dark plum fruit on the palate but it does seem a bit unresolved and even a little closed at the moment.
I am unsure of how this wine will develop. There is definitely room for improvement but my feeling was that this wine was just not getting any better. (92 pts.)
Flight 3 - Joker - 1986 Soldera (Az. Agr. Case Basse) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
A very expressive and complex nose filled with intense chocolate covered dark cherry fruit and a hint of sewer and marcipan.
Delicious and intense palate that I just loved. A little sweet with fresh cherry fruit but still an intense long acidic aftertaste that really balances out the entire wine. There is also a lot of complex spices on the palate that is really exciting..
The flavors are compact and dense but without being overdone or extracted.
Beautiful, fresh and intense wine that I just adored!
This bottle performed a lot different from my previous tasting of this wine. Perhaps this bottle was just stored a lot better? (95 pts.)
Flight 4 - Great Expectations - 1990 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
A little funky nose with sweetness, vanilla black pepper and sweet bacon.
The palate has plenty of fresh acidic and young cherry fruit with a little iron in the aftertaste. Long acidic aftertaste.
An impressive wine that can clearly age longer and perhaps even improve. (94 pts.)
- 1990 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Very impressive and complex nose. Initially there is pipe tobacco and crushed dried flowers and overall a very perfumed style. The nose also has a little tropical chewing gum..
I simply adored the complexity and intensity of the nose!
Sweet dark plum palate that is just extremely well-made. The age is starting to show a little bit with mushrooms and forest floor but still an incredible complexity on the palate also.
A crazy and very impressive wine! (96 pts.)
- 1990 Siro Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Dark and intense plum fruit nose with plenty of black pepper but also some vanilla and other spices. Very nice nose.
The palate is however quite disappointing.. There is some dark concentrated plum fruit with a little coconut and vanilla but the tannins are a little "dusty". A solid acidity in the aftertaste but overall the wine leaves an impression of a highly unbalanced wine that is overly alcoholic..
A huge disappointment to me. (92 pts.)
Flight 5 - Huge Expectations - 1990 Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio All'Oro - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Flattering and impressive nose that is very complex and enticing. Cherry fruit, smoke, coffee, green dried herbs, forest floor, pipe tobacco and rose petals.
Equally impressive on the palate with a super sharp and fresh style. Cherries, smoke and coffee blend nicely with a long and pure aftertaste with plenty of acidity.
Just a beautiful wine but unfortunately my last bottle!
It could definitely last longer but it is just perfect at the moment. (96 pts.)
- 1990 Cerbaiola (Salvioni) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Very very impressive nose that is hugely intense and just packed with complex impressions; sewer, eucalyptus, coffee, smoke, tart cherries, cranberries and rusty minerals.
The palate is equally impressive and is dominated by a cranberry style fruit and a little red currants. The age shows as mushrooms and forest floor in the mid-palate.
An incredible wine that turned out to be as good as I had hoped for. The complexity and purity is just impressive
Everything is fully integrated in a pure and impressive expression of Sangiovese.
One of the best Brunello's I have have ever tasted! (97 pts.)
- 1990 Lisini Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Very intense dark plum nose laced with cabbage, coffee and even a little iron.
The crazy intensity follows through on the palate with plenty of dark plum fruit but still retaining the freshness. There are also some nice flavors of dried leaves and wet forest floor.
Packed with flavors and complexity and a very long acidic aftertaste but it also keep the very fresh expression that is what really lifts this wine!
The fruit is dark but still juicy and pure in its expression.
Having tasted this wine more than once has been an extreme pleasure and it has always delivered at a very high level.
Just an amazing and inspiring wine! (97 pts.)
Flight 6 - Champagnes Both bottles were generously donated!! - 1990 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon - France, Champagne
Impressively aged nose; butter, coffee, hazelnut, creamy caramel with a fruit of red crap apples.
Extremely creamy and delicious palate filled with butter and hazelnut but also with an intense expression of red crap apples. Also some browned butter.
Great and impressive acidity pulls everything together nicely! (95 pts.)
- 1979 G. H. Mumm & Cie Champagne René Lalou - France, Champagne
Nose: Salt water, sea weed, oysters and a little apple juice.
Palate: Sweet yellow plums with a good amount of acidity but a little short on the aftertaste. Loads of rye bread.
A solid and impressive wine for its age! (93 pts.)
Flight 7 - The "now-go-home" bottle - 2002 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Fresh baked bread and green apples on the nose with an impressive intensity. It still appears very young in its expression!
Completely young on the palate also with a lot of green apples and an impressive acidity. Has quite a bit of bitterness in the mid/end-palate.
I just adored it and will look forward to following this over the years.
Huge potential!! (95 pts.)
Overall, most of the wines performed at their best and it should be clear that this was a very good vintage for Brunello :-) |
