May 16, 2023 - PnP. Medium red with some browning on the edge. Medium weight on the palate and nose driven by cherries and a finish with some light tannins. This is quite good in a bad vintage but not that exciting.
January 26, 2021 - Definitely on the subtle side of Brunello, but there's a lot to appreciate here. Not rich and ripe, but it is complex nonetheless, with airy aromas of red plum, cherry, blueberry, blood orange, terracotta, white chocolate, blue flowers, resinous herbs, and cedar. Pretty lean and sinewy for Brunello, this shows the difficulty of the vintage on the palate, and some might find it austere, but I find it full of character and far from severe. Tight and structured, with vigorous acids and fine tannins, this is not especially long on fruit, but there's admirable purity and lift, and pleasant herbal bitterness lingers beautifully. Serve this in a big glass and have it with a fatty cut of red meat. Should improve over the next few years, and hold for a decade beyond that, but I don't expect this to go the long haul.
January 2, 2021 - Very mediocre with little character.
November 15, 2020 - Tried this about 4m ago, revisiting with significantly more time decanting, 4 hours this time. Quite a difference. Pale garnet color. Offers dried strawberries, white pepper, campfire smoke, toasted almond and forest floor. While still quite young, this BdM is already graceful and shows admirable character. Smooth texture, medium-bodied, with juicy red fruit on entry, a peppery mid-palate and spicy finish. The tannins are still coarse and chalky, and it would benefit from 1-2 years before it enters a real drinking window. But this time I feel it has the potential to be worth the wait.
September 2, 2020 - PnP. Given notes from others thought this was worth a shot while the bigger vintages (20,13) age further. Medium light red. Airy nose of spice and Sangiovese minerality/dust. This is quite light on the palate but with sneaky flavor intensity. Excellent acidity rather than tannins on the finish. A winner for a very tough vintage. I actually like this better than some of the hot vintages where Brunello gets too ripe for my aging palate.
July 31, 2020 - Gave this BdM 2.5h of air, given it's youth. Light garnet color and aromas of cherry, chocolate, pepper, forest floor and hints of oak. Closed at this stage, with only the merest hints of fruit poking through the bitter, citrus-focused flavor. Rustic, muscular tannins dominate the senses. While this may improve with time, I'm not sure there's enough concentration for something exceptional to emerge.
July 24, 2020 - Brick red leading to a semi opaque sight. Hints of earthy flavors along with cherry, plum and raspberries. On the palate it’s a very smooth Brunello for a 2014 that was considered a bad year. It has a slight fruit profile and mild tannins. It does have a good finish. Enjoy now 7/20.
June 6, 2020 - This is an interesting case: one of the few Brunello actually produced in 2014. This was such a difficult year that most producers didn't even release a Brunello.
Since I've never missed a release from Sesta di Sopra since the first release in 1999 (I even bought the 2002!) I decided that I wanted to drink this vintage as well. And I was encouraged by the Rosso that they released of this vintage. That wine had a unique freshness and refinement that I've rarely found in a Sangiovese based wine.
The 2014 Brunello is a slightly different story. It tries to be a Brunello and does it in a way that I consistently found with Sesta di Sopra: flawless in all respects. One can smell and taste the care that has been taken to select the grapes, crush carefully, and have the maceration and maturing happen under meticulously clean circumstances.
But there is only so much that can be extracted from the fruit of 2014.
Still it is a classic Brunello profile:
Light ruby color. Sour cherry, leather and some spices on the nose. Medium bodied with some nice fruit, smooth tannins and fresh acidity on the palate. And a medium-long finish.
Overall this wine just lets down a bit on being less full and maybe tipping over a bit towards the acidity balance.
This is a wine to drink now.
Compared to the Rosso 2014 I actually liked that wine a bit better. Sure, the Brunello has a bit more body and complexity but with the Rosso I had a bit more 'Hmm, I actually like this kind of style'.
Why spend so much time on writing a tasting note on a Brunello from Sesta di Sopra that I have given the lowest rating since the 2002 release?
Well, I still think it is an amazing effort to produce such a nice wine in such a difficult vintage as 2014. And I believe this Brunello is probably one the best wines that has been produced in the region in that year. It is a great example of the fact that not everything in this world is being produced in mass factories that can only make one dimensional everything-tastes-the-same kind of products. A bottle of this wine makes you experience how difficult a job a wine producer had in Montalcino 2014.