Brunello 2006 Horisontal Tasting

10 people attended this very interesting horizontal tasting of what we felt were the best wines of the vintage based on critical acclaim.

• 2006 Il Poggione (Proprietá Franceschi) Brunello di Montalcino 92 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Classic on the nose with a little tar.
  Open and fresh dark cherry fruit on the palate with a medium length. Fine and young wine but perhaps a little bit plain and singular.
  Does however seem a little closed and unstructured.

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• 2006 Podere Santa Maria (Colleoni) Brunello di Montalcino 93 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Dark plum nose that seems a little sweet. Almost a little vulgar.
  The palate starts with some fresh dark plums but it also has hints of tar and dirt. It does not seems to have really opened up but still a good structure.

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• 2006 Sesta di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino 94 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Classic BdM nose but a little closed and very hard.
  The palate is however open for business with classic flavors and a beautiful long fresh aftertaste.

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• 2006 Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino 94 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Classic BdM nose with a hint of buttermilk.
  Very delicious and classic Bdm flavors with a long acidic aftertaste. A solid and impressive wine.
  The cherry are really fresh and acidic. Impressive!

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• 2006 Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino 91 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Very expressive nose with a good intensity.
  Intense fruit also on the palate with fresh acidic aftertaste.
  To me it does seem to collapse a bit after some time in the glass.

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• 2006 Voliero Brunello di Montalcino 95 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  This is for the "Casato 1" wine.
  Nose is a little closed but is showing sweet cherry and some oak influence.
  Tons of fruit on the palate with an impressive backbone! A massive and compact style wine with a very long aftertaste.

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• 2006 Il Paradiso (Manfredi) Brunello di Montalcino 94 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Explosive nose with a lot of fresh cherry and dirt.
  Very smooth on the palate with plenty of dark fruit. Lacks a little acidity but still a very nice and competent wine.
  Overal,l a bit flabby which makes it less exciting :-)

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• 2006 La Serena Brunello di Montalcino 96 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Nose: Sewer, cherry, coconut and chocolate.
  Palate: Dark dense fruit core with a very long and fruity aftertaste. Good acidity and tannins.
  Simply an excellent wine in great balance!!

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• 2006 San Polino Brunello di Montalcino Helichrysum 95 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Expressive nose with coffee, dark cherries and oak. Intense and very nice..
  Very powerful acidity on the palate and just beautifully put together. Young and pure-flavored cherries with a long impressive aftertaste.

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• 2006 Querce Bettina Brunello di Montalcino 95 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Sweet but fresh cherries on the nose with some sewer and meat/leather also.
  Impressively fresh cherries on the palate but also a little bit special. It does seem a little watery on the mid-palate but has a long floral and herb filled aftertaste.
  Overall a little bit strange but very edgy and something that would be funny to try again.

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• 2006 Azienda Agricola San Giuseppe Brunello di Montalcino Stella di Campalto 95 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Nose: cabbage, cherries, grass but it seems a little closed.
  Palate: Very charming raspberry fruit with a good balance to it. Lacks some interest and length in the aftertaste.
  Elegant wine but not really something that impressed me.

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• 2006 Pian dell'Orino Brunello di Montalcino 97 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Huge expressive dark cherry nose. A lot of "farts" but also sewer and flowers :-)
  Fresh young cherries on the palate with a little sewer/cabbage element to it. Very long aftertaste filled with a very elegant fruit.
  The wine is very well built and has a massive and impressive structure.
  Seems to be a mix of both traditional and modernistic approach to BdM. I just loved it!

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• 2006 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino 94 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Nose: Dark conc. fruit, dirt, coffee, tar, barnyard, tobacco.
  Palate: Compact and concentrated blackberry with a little vanilla but a lot of acidity. Fairly balanced but quite a powerful wine.
  Currently does seem a little closed and seems a little weak on the mid-palate.
  I had definitely expected more from this wine!

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• 2006 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova 97 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Nose is packed with dark fruit but still fresh and intense.
  Concentrated and powerful dark fruit on the palate but still very focused. Crazy long aftertaste and just a very impressive wine.
  Not overdone in any way even though the fruit is very dark and concentrated.
  Impressive!

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• 2006 Luce della Vite Brunello di Montalcino 97 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Very funky nose with asparagus, coffee, boiled cabbage, liquorice and cherry-gravy.
  Extremely concentrated palate with a lot of liquorice and oak influence. Very long aftertaste.
  Not really my style even though I do like the modern BdM style.
  Still a very structured and impressive wine.

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• 2006 Siro Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino 95 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Nose: very funky, compact, cabbage, coffee, bonfire.
  Palate: Just extreme!! Extracted and somehow feels constructed with an almost unnatural feel to it. Well built wine but it does seem a little unstructured.
  Not really impressed.. A wine that simply feels overdone!

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• 2006 Uccelliera Brunello di Montalcino 95 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Nose: Dusty but intense blackberry fruit. Coffee and also a little eggs (sulfur).
  Palate: Very dark fruit that feels a little concentrated. Compact wine but in a good balance. Toasted oak but still complex and nice.

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• 2006 Cerbaiola (Salvioni) Brunello di Montalcino 98 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Very intense young cherry nose with a hint of sewer. A little eggs but overall it has a nice perfumed tone to it and seems quite complex.
  Very charming palate that is just classic BdM. Beautiful notes of roses and other flowers.
  The wine seems in just perfect balance with a huge acidic feel and a great structure.
  Amazing wine!!

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• 2006 Fattoria Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino 97 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Beautiful floral notes on the nose. Also filled with sewer and just a hint of vanilla and coffee.
  Sweet young cherry fruit on the palate in a very good balance.
  An impressive wine but when put next the Salvioni just falls a little short.
  Still a very good wine worth seeking out!

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• 2006 Cerbaiona Brunello di Montalcino 98 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Amazingly charming nose with roses, cherry and raspberry leaves. Very complex nose.
  Wow and Wow on the palate! Extremely charming and in great balance with a solid structure. Nice solid cherry/raspberry fruit. Very long aftertaste that is complex and still in just a perfect balance.
  A very impressive wine!!!

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The wines showed at a very high level where many fairly unknown producers had created some very impressive wines.
Overall the wines showed a vintage that were fairly open and ready to drink and it will be interesting to see how they develop.
My personal opinion is that the 04 vintage has more longevity but the wines from 06 were definitely a pleasure to drink and will also be able to improve a lot.