Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  12/9/2010 (link)

  (TERRALSOLE Brunello) 2000 Dear Friends, I’ve been scouring for grand-cru level wine (with cellar age) to serve this holiday season and beyond and I found a doozy of a deal this morning – one that will be tough to top from a price/value/complexity standpoint. Let’s just call this a gift from the winery and move along... The first time I tasted this wine was in the winter of 2007 at an osteria near Siena – I was so taken with it’s ability to enhance my dinner (a hearty mix of country arrosto di maiali, grilled steak and potatoes char-grilled whole on an open wood fire), I attempted to secure the rights to the winery the next morning (to no avail). At that time, Terralsole was ascending to the top rung in the region but their production was small. It was a tough nut to crack and I finally gave up (not something I'm known for). I knew at the time, their 2001 Riserva was already one of the highest rated of the vintage (with Cerbaiona-like pricing to match) and I’ve watched that streak continue through the 2004 campaign with another series of top examples that are again among the highest rated/most expensive of the vintage... ...which makes today’s offer even more gratifying – an aged example for half price. The key to all of this was the 2001 vintage in Montalcino – one that overshadowed its very good older sibling (2000). If you scan the major growing districts of Europe, from Bordeaux south many of them had stellar vintages in 2000 or vintages with very ripe, generous fruit that continue to attract attention (or detractors – see the 2000 vintage in Piedmont – 100pts for some 85pts for others). The same can be said about 2000 in Brunello – a vintage that produced many excellent, large-scaled wines but they were still in barrel when the 2001 vintage was picked and that doomed the 2000’s going forward (from a consumer/psychological perspective, not a qualitative one). That set of circumstances is your gain. Now a decade since the harvest, Terralsole’s 2000 Brunello is a gorgeous wine, arguably better than it’s 2001 sibling. The reason is simple – in 2000, most of the Riserva went into the regular wine – in 2001, the “important” vintage dictated more Riserva culled from the regular. That leaves us with a 2000 Brunello that offers a glimpse at cellar-aged complexity with touches of St. Julien and Bolgheri with Montalcino at its core. This is regal Sangiovese Grosso with all the right modern elements that have melted into the layers of the whole. Masculine and serious but perfumed and finely detailed, this is a relatively low alcohol example (13.2%) to drink this New Year’s Eve for its terrific ability to match with important food but also its ability to expand over a long, celebratory evening. Now to the moral of the story – I’ve shied away from Terralsole due to very high prices (you can check the 2000 and 2001 prices - for the regular Brunello, not even the Riserva) but I’ve always admired the quality. Today, we finally are able to offer an aged example with impeccable provenance at a double-take tariff for this winery - for a wine with years of life left in the tank but so much going for it tonight as well. If you cellar fine Bordeaux, I highly recommend you try this Italian counterpart as a blind entrant in a 2000 retrospective tasting. Something tells me it will represent the vintage quite nicely. So, for the 2000 Terralsole or for the 2001 Terralsole? You can decide but the choice is obvious for me (although, I’ve tried both vintages). ONE SHIPMENT ONLY at this price. FIRST COME FIRST SERVED up to 24/person until we run out 2000 Terralsole Brunello di Montalcino - (WS90) (compare at ) To order: niki@garagistewine.com This parcel is set to arrive with perfect provenance in a week or so (please check OARS for local pick up after Dec 18th). It will ship during the Spring shipping season. Out of state orders will be held for free under ideal storage conditions (56 degrees/70%humidity) until shipping is possible. Locals may pick up at their leisure. For current local pick up and arrival/ship information, please see your OARS link below (at the bottom of this offer) - don’t know how to access your OARS? Simply click the link and see your account. You can also paste the link into your browser. If you are having trouble with your link or your account, please contact: support@garagistewine.com NO SALES TO RETAILERS OR WHOLESALERS Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Italy7863 Click here to view the status of your orders in O.A.R.S.