Montalcino mini vertical/horizontal 05, 06 and 07 and two '99

In an attempt to explore the future releases of Brunello di Montalcino we opened a mini vertical of 3 Rosso di Montalcino from Sesta di Sopra. One of the smallest producers in the area. With great dedication and passion. I admire this estate for its consistent high quality, even in bad years such as 2002.

To finish on a different note we opened two bottles of the great '99 vintage. One from Sesta di Sopra and one from St. Lucia. Very different producers, but both only started in the mid-nineties with the production of Brunello. And both have relatively high altitude (400-500m) vineyards south of Montalcino. The most notable difference is the use of french oak by St. Lucia and Slavonian oak by Sesta di Sopra, both in large botti format. And I have the impression that St. Lucia uses higher extraction. This is only based on the '99 and '00 vintages that I have had.
So, I invited some good friends, we had some great cheese and salumi on the table, and we where ready to go!

All bottles where opened 6 hours in advance. We used IKEA 365+ IVRIG red wine glasses. They basically have a great shape, but there is lots of production variation. Its easy to select the best glasses since the large amount of stock available in most IKEA stores. If you select the thinnest glasses with a nice straight cut on the top side, they provide incredible value for money.

• 2005 Sesta di Sopra Rosso di Montalcino 88 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino

  ruby color with a faint hint of ambering at the rim. Lots of black fruit and some hints of leather on the nose. Medium bodied with well integrated tannins and acidity, nicely round. Medium finish.
  Well integrated now. Drink now - 2010.

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• 2006 Sesta di Sopra Rosso di Montalcino 89 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino

  Ruby color. Full aromas of black fruit, cherry and leather. medium bodied with smooth, mouth coating tannins, good fruit and acidity following trough on the mid palate. Medium finish that remains fresh throughout. Well balanced, still quite a lot of structure left. Drink now - 2012.

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• 2007 Sesta di Sopra Rosso di Montalcino 90 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino

  Ruby color. Full aromas of black currant and berries with hints of licorice and smoked beef. Full bodied with chewy tannins and lots of fruit and fresh acidity. Still a bit fragmented. Medium-long finish with some spicy hints. Quite nice now with lots of air, but should integrate a bit more. Drink now - 2014.

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• 1999 Sesta di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino 95 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Ruby colour. Initially some barnyard, after this blew off: Full aromas of black fruit, cherry and leather with hints of licorice and spices that keep evolving in the glass. Following trough full bodied on the palate with dusty, mouth coating tannins and lots of fruit and fresh acidity. Ultra long finish that goes on and on and continues to echo the fruit and spices from the initial aromas. Impressive! All this was only happening after lots of aeration in the glas and +/- 2 hours after pouring the wine into the glass. There is still lots of structure and fruit left. It might still improve with a few more years cellar time.
  Drink now (with lots of air) - 2020.

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• 1999 St. Lucia Brunello di Montalcino 90 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Deep ruby color. Full aromas of black fruit and leather with some hints of cherry. Full bodied with chewy tannins and fresh acidity. Perhaps slightly lean on the mid palate. Medium finish. The fruit seems to be fading slightly on this wine. Its at/past its peak. Drink now.
  
  Two days later:
  Finishing the last few drops of the bottles of '99 Brunello we opened Friday. It seems that the S. Lucia deserves a bit more praise than the 89pts I labeled it. It has opened up much better now with more complexity on the nose. Still no match for the Sesta di Sopra. Say 90 pts.

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Some conclusions:
- we can expect some great years to come. In particular '06 and '07.
- the '99 vintage is accessible but there is a big difference between wineries. The St. Lucia is at/past its peak and the Sesta di Sopra could use some more years in the cellar. If you give the last one lots of air it shows what a great vintage it is.