1999 Brunello Blind Tasting

Tom's House, Palo Alto
Tasted Sunday, May 8, 2011 - Monday, May 9, 2011 by aagrawal with 787 views

Introduction

This was a very difficult tasting for me blind given my very limited history with sangiovese and brunello. I am proud that I could pick out the Leonetti, but in terms of ranking the brunello it was spur of the moment preference. Overall the wines were excellent except for the one corked wine (which was still only faintly corked), and I would be happy to drink any of them with dinner. The pre-wines were excellent, though I didn't catch the names and so are not listed here. Thanks to Ross for organizing such a wonderful tasting!

Flight 1 - Prosecco (1 Note)

Flight 2 - Pre-wines (3 Notes)

Two viognier that were dead-ringers for NZ sauv blanc. Very aromatic wines, very good. A chardonnay that was nothing like any chardonnay that I've had before. In all, a very interesting flight. All very affordable wines and good for the price.

  • 2009 Carmenet Chardonnay 90 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    (5/9/2011)

    Served blind. Funky, earthy, ripe fruit. Full bodied, low acid. Very interesting. When revealed, most of us were stunned that it was a chardonnay. I would have guessed a rhone white varietal because of the funky characteristics and low acid. I really liked this wine on an intellectual level, though I don't know if I would buy a lot of it.

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  • 2010 Cline Cellars Viognier Estate Grown Sonoma Coast 89 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    (5/9/2011)

    Served blind, may have gotten mixed up between the 2010 cline california viognier and 2010 cline contra costa viognier.
    Wine B: Grassy, anise, mint, hint of citrus. Lovely, palate full bodied, creamy. The nose is the strong suit here. This smells exactly like a NZ sauv blanc, but the full creamy palate makes that less likely. I didn't guess viognier. 89
    Wine C: Fruit. citrus. Balanced, good acid, not that much flavor. Somewhat pedestrian but still good. 84

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  • 2010 Cline Cellars Viognier 84 Points

    USA, California, North Coast

    (5/9/2011)

    Served blind, may have gotten mixed up between the 2010 cline california viognier and 2010 cline contra costa viognier.
    Wine B: Grassy, anise, mint, hint of citrus. Lovely, palate full bodied, creamy. The nose is the strong suit here. This smells exactly like a NZ sauv blanc, but the full creamy palate makes that less likely. I didn't guess viognier. 89
    Wine C: Fruit. citrus. Balanced, good acid, not that much flavor. Somewhat pedestrian but still good. 84

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Flight 3 - Brunello (8 Notes)

I could pick out the corked wine and the non-brunello sangiovese, but other than that the wines were all approximately the same level of good. So, for now, I can't tell the difference blind between a $40 and $80 brunello. Perhaps with more experience...

  • 1999 La Poderina Brunello di Montalcino Flawed

    Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

    (5/8/2011)

    corked

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  • 1999 Tenuta Fanti Brunello di Montalcino 90 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

    (5/8/2011)

    Tasted blind. This was a difficult wine for me to judge. Started off a bit off-balance, tannic finish, definitely needs a bit of time. With some air it opened up a bit and showed some fruit. Very hard to evaluate.

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  • 1999 Castelgiocondo (Marchesi de' Frescobaldi) Brunello di Montalcino 94 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

    (5/8/2011)

    Tasted blind. Nice hints of red fruit, earth, traditional style nose with a bit of spice; palate balanced with good fruit and acid. I liked this the best of the night.

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  • 1999 Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino Poggio alle Mura 90 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

    (5/8/2011)

    Tasted blind. Dusty old-world nose, palate has great acidity and balance but is somewhat low on the fruit. My #6 of the night.

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  • 1999 Siro Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino 90 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

    (5/8/2011)

    Tasted blind. Of all the wines served tonight, this could use the most time to improve. Very tannic palate when first opened, but really started to show good fruit after 45 minutes of air. It didn't stand out to me. My #5/8.

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  • 1999 Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino 92 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

    (5/8/2011)

    Tasted blind. Somewhat hidden nose, hint of complex red fruit and spice. Well integrated tannins with moderate fruit. Good acid. Middle of the road, #4/8 for me.

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  • 1999 Castello di Querceto / Querceto Chianti Classico Riserva 92 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

    (5/8/2011)

    A funky nose with some mushroom, vegetal components. Lovely wine with balanced ripe palate, perhaps tiring a little bit but drinking well now. My #2/8 of the night.

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  • 1999 Leonetti Cellar Sangiovese 93 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

    (5/8/2011)

    Tasted blind; stood out from the other 7 brunello like a siren. Completely different, super-floral with ripe candied cherry and vanilla oak; good structure, great red fruit. Intense, excellent. Balanced, medium-long finish.

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