April 9, 2023 - Baricci is still showing a remarkable consistency in producing a classic Brunello style. This 2015 vintage is no exception.
Light ruby color. Full aromas of cherry and leather with some red licorice and sweet tobacco. Full bodied with smooth tannins and fresh acidity. The finish follows through seamlessly, seems to last for ever and remains fresh throughput. Very nice now, but will have a fairly long life ahead. Might even deserve a notch up in 5-10 years time when it might develop some more complexity.
March 24, 2023 - Like meeting an old friend I had lost touch with. This is my favourite BdM, but I hadn’t had one since the 2006. I knew Nello Baricci had passed and now the critics were taking notice, would the wine still be something I would love?
The first set back was it was $155 for the 2014 on the restaurant’s list, but my research showed the price was fair. The second was when the wine came to the table it was the 2015. I would have preferred the 2014 because I love the vintage for its early drinking wines. As soon as I stuck my nose in the decanter I knew it would be fine.
Medium dark red. Earthy ripe cherry, plum, herb and leather nose with even a bit of dried orange peel. Delicious cherry and spice flavours and a long bright, tannic finish. Beautiful to drink as soon as it was opened.
I worry that ageing 2015s will be disappointing like the 07s but, I think this wine would be great for at least a decade more.
December 5, 2022 - Decanted for 1 hour. Pale to medium ruby with slight bricking at the rim. Perfumed ripe red cherries and plum on the nose, camphor, violets, mentholated herbs and leather, it finishes with a sweet spice character. Texture is so elegant and attractive, medium plus body. The tannins on this wine is very fine grained and well integrated. The minerality in this wine comes through on the very long finish. Slightly alcoholic as you can feel the warmth in your throat. The riper style wine is showing very well today after one hour in the decanter but has the potential to develop further. Give it a couple more years.
July 27, 2022 - Sweet cherries and balsamic notes on the nose, maybe some currants as well. Beautifully elegant, medium-bodied palate, tons of sweet, ultra fine tannins of the best quality, then there's that incredible, racy acidity on the midpalate throughout the finish, covered by juicy, delicious sweet fruit. Structure for decades no doubt. The most pure, classically styled expression of Sangiovese you could wish for. This is completely amazing right now as a baby and will be breathtaking and borderline perfection in 10+ years when it without doubt will have even more complexity. 18+/20.
February 21, 2022 - Medium body, good complexity on the nose and mouth, nice finish. Very rounded, lacks a little funkiness to my taste, a little "sweeter" than other Burnellos, but excellent.
December 13, 2021 - 开瓶即饮，淡宝石红色，闻香是百里香一类的香料和草药味，樱桃、杏和李子的果香，淡淡蘑菇肉味，泥土气息，一些烟熏味，入口酸度高，单宁紧致，颗粒细腻，酒液很咸，矿物感强烈，收口甜，漂亮的集中度，盐渍话梅一样的酸咸，草莓硬糖般的香气，一些香料和草本气息，后段辛辣，有些酒精感，强烈的回甘，余味是泥土，矿物感，玫瑰花，红果，香草和木质香气。刚刚开瓶就展现出了非常高的质量，漂亮的结构，扎实的口感，令人印象深刻，即便没有充分醒酒其实已经非常美味。醒酒一个小时，多了一些后段的甜感，与咸味矿物感形成很好的平衡，口中就像吃了一颗水果糖一样香，余味中还有一些红苹果一类的果香，花香持续释出，能感受到茉莉花和玫瑰花的香气。已经到了一口过后满口留香的程度。回塞瓶醒八小时后，闻香依然是香料和草药味，红果转化成更为成熟的黑李子一类香气，还有橡木桶烘烤的气息，入口酸度高，单宁细腻的质感非常漂亮，酒液咸，矿物感，收口甜美，这一阶段酒更多展现出的是甜美黑果的香气，酒更加融合，非常顺口，但表现力稍微平了一些，反而没有刚开始那么惊艳。第二天，酒的活力不减，口感酸甜活泼，香气不减，还能感觉到一股檀香般的味道，余味依旧如同香水一般。一直喝到第四天，仍然没有感受到酒有下坡的迹象，酸度坚挺，单宁细腻，香气再次转变为红果主导，酸咸过后漂亮的回甜成为它的招牌特征，橡木桶的影响不再明显，让你感受到桑娇维塞的强大生命力，一款充满变化的酒。
June 14, 2021 - 15% alcohol. Very good dense cork with no wine penetration. Decanted an hour ahead. Bright ruby colour, very engaging.
The nose has macerated red fruit and infused dried petals, with an occasional intrusion of a whiff of alcohol. The mouth is long rather than broad with a similar pot-pourri feel as on the nose and substantial acidity. Good grip, but the tannins are soft. Very good mouthfeel. Refined and capable of long ageing. The alcohol level does not impinge, but for whatever reason this wine does not invite more than moderate consumption (and I do not mean this as a negative).
I have no idea of the cost of this bottle, but if not extortionate I would consider (re)purchasing.
PS: after a night in the fridge (recorked), the second half of the bottle is significantly less good, with a vegetal bitter note dominating from the mid-palate on. Clearly this a suboptimal way of drinking this wine, so I would not read too much in it.
January 24, 2021 - Still much too young. Will hopefully improve with age.
June 17, 2020 - At O'Reilly's. This wine has a deep cherry colour and a deeply fruited nose of dark cherries, balsamic, autumn herbs and touches of liquorice and bitter chocolate. The palate is quite dense and initially closed but opens slowly to reveal a nicely layered and complex structure with excellent grip from a whip of dense tannin ant the end. Classic Brunello that benefits a lot from aeration and decanting.
February 21, 2020 - 2015 Brunello di Montalcino, new releases (Montalcino centro): Benvenuto Brunello 2020, Montalcino
Simple nose, with some earth and fresh cherry. Traditional, medium-bodied palate with firm, sweet tannins. Good structure. This is more about potential than anything else just now. Drink 2024-2034.
recommended
Full 2015 Brunello report here https://wp.me/p7fulH-27j
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