quote:

Originally posted by dr.darkrichandbold:
Great thread. I think I'll crack a couple of my '97's and see where they're at tonight. I made some cacciatori last night, in preparation for tonight, so that should work well with the wines.

Cheers,

-DRAB

You still have 1997s? I thought you drabbed those in 1996.

Had a brief chat with Longboarder last week about Brunello, and I thought I'd revive this thread. I had a 1997 Fuligni normale a few weeks back that was smokin' good, but Lb indicated that many were still a "hold" and that it was very producer specific.

So, what 1997 Brunelli have you opened recently and how are they doing?

PH

I had a 1997 Altesino Montosoli about a week ago. It was very good... Not showing much age, and it drank well over a few hours.

quote:

Originally posted by Lentini:
I had a 1997 Altesino Montosoli about a week ago. It was very good... Not showing much age, and it drank well over a few hours.

I haven't opened one of mine yet. I'll look forward to hearing about this one when I see you next.

PH

quote:

Originally posted by PurpleHaze:
So, what 1997 Brunelli have you opened recently and how are they doing?

PH

My wife took a 97 Costanti up to Montreal earlier this year and said it was nice, but needed time. I have some 97 Fuligni riserva’s that I have been thinking of opening, but maybe I should let them sleep some more.

Timely bump.

Jcubed opened a 1997 Siro Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino last night at an offline.

This was an eye opener for me as I've never really been a fan of Italian wines (I know, throw out a broad net), but this was outstanding last night. This had loads of black cherry and chocolate with a touch of licorice on the finish.

Perhaps J3 will chime in with his thoughts, as I am certainly a Brunello novice.

quote:

Originally posted by GlennK:

quote:

Originally posted by PurpleHaze:
So, what 1997 Brunelli have you opened recently and how are they doing?

PH

My wife took a 97 Costanti up to Montreal earlier this year and said it was nice, but needed time. I have some 97 Fuligni riserva’s that I have been thinking of opening, but maybe I should let them sleep some more.

Thanks for the update GlennK. I had my hands on a Costanti, and chose the Fuligni instead.

I have 2 Fuligni Riservas, and I'm holding until their 20th birthday at least.

PH

Of the 97s, this is all we have left:

1997 Fuligni Riserva
1997 Pertimali Livio Sassetti Riserva
1997 Valdicava Madonna del Piano


As we were married in 1997, I would guess we will open 1 of these a year for the next 3

quote:

Originally posted by thelostverse:
Timely bump.

Jcubed opened a 1997 Siro Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino last night at an offline.

This was an eye opener for me as I've never really been a fan of Italian wines (I know, throw out a broad net), but this was outstanding last night. This had loads of black cherry and chocolate with a touch of licorice on the finish.

Perhaps J3 will chime in with his thoughts, as I am certainly a Brunello novice.

I'm also a Brunello novice and appreciate when someone like jcubed shares one with some "age" on it. I tasted it quite differently than tlv based on his comments but enjoyed it very much. With regards to the thread topic, I'd bet this wine would still drink nice in 4-6 years with no problem.

Will be opening a Poggio Antico Altero tonight and will let you know...

Ugh, my '97 stock is sadly low, too...

Just these:
Lisini Riserva Ugolaia
Banfi Poggio all'Oro Riserva

Here is what I have left:

1 x 1997 Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino
3 x 1997 Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Brunello di Montalcino Vigna di Pianrosso
2 x 1997 Lisini Brunello di Montalcino
1 x 1997 Siro Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino
3 x 1997 Pian Delle Vigne (Antinori) Brunello di Montalcino (not sure if I have all 3 of this one)

VM

3+ cases assorted. Going to be a fun few years coming up, I hope.

PH

I've had 10 Brunello over the last 2 years and none of them were over the hill. Some were in their drinking window and others still needed time. Great vintage which produced wines for the long haul contrary to what some experts said at the time. Here are my notes on them:

1997 Uccelliera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (4/13/2012)
Opened by Grossie at a Turkish restaurant during an offline when Haggis came into town.. Blackish red color. Kirsch, cassis and blackberry notes. This is still a well structured wine with solid tannins at 16 years old. Long, deep finish. One of 5 BdM's opened at the offline. This was my 2nd favorite after the 2001 Montosoli. 96 points.

1997 Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (3/17/2012)
3rd time I have had this. Drank alongside the 1994 and 1997 Pogoa alle Mura. Darker color than the 1994. Some violets on the nose. Supple tannins. Notes of plum, cedar and raw meat. Smooth finish. 93 points.

1997 Siro Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (3/17/2012)
Creamy texture and well structured. Firm tannins. Notes of cocoa and ripe black cherry. Still very young tasting. 93 points.

1997 Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino Poggio alle Mura - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (3/15/2012)
Bought this on release in 2002 for $65. Drank next to the regular 1994 and 1997 Banfi BdM's. Decanted for 4 hours. Notes of cherries and meaty red fruit with a little smoke. Round texture. Integrated tannins. Long legs. This bottle was ready to drink. 93-94 points.

1997 Poggio Salvi Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (10/6/2011)
J3 brought this to an offline last night. Not as fruity as many of the other 1997 BdM's I've had. Notes of wet earth and cherries. Smooth finish. 89-90 points.

1997 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (4/19/2011)
Dinner at the Otis House (Otis' house): Opened by Otis. Don't think this was decanted. My red wine of the night. This 14 year old BdM was holding up great and not showing any signs of fading soon. Solid tannins with plenty of dark fruit and black cherry notes. Round texture with a long finish. 94 points.

1997 Castelgiocondo (Marchesi de' Frescobaldi) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (4/19/2011)
Dinner at the Otis House (Otis' house): 3rd time I have had this wine. It was showing very well. Not decanted. The tannins have integrated in this wine and it is much less of a brut than when young. Smooth texture with an elegant profile. Beefy notes with red berries. Round finish. 93 points.

1997 Pian Delle Vigne (Antinori) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (11/30/2010)
Opened a bottle over Thanksgiving. Not decanted which was a mistake. Tight and unforgiving. Firm tannins and little fruit when I tried it. Opened up after dinner with about 4 hours of air time with notes similar to previous tastings. 91 points.

1997 Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (11/11/2010)
Vinci Dinner (10/28/10) (Chicago, IL.): Last time I had this was in 2002. Took this to dinner with JCubed, Otis, Berno and JBurman. Blackish red color. Not decanted. A full bodied wine which showed no signs of being from an early drinking vintage as some experts guessed. Deep structure. Ripe red and black fruit. 94 points.

1997 Tenute Silvio Nardi Brunello di Montalcino Vigneto Manachiara - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (11/11/2010)
Vinci Dinner (10/28/10) (Chicago, IL.): Opened by JCubed at dinner. Drank alongside a 1997 Banfi BdM. Medium to full bodied wine. Notes of cocoa, currant and black cherry. Very good depth. Long finish. Well balanced. The 1997 BdM vintage keeps showing it's prowess. 94 points.

VM

Good stuff, VM. Thanks very much.

PH

Notice that 8 of the 10 wines scored at least a 93. Hope you have some of those.

VM

I have 6 of them.

PH

And this includes my last Poggio Salvi, which I actually liked a bit better than you did your most recent bottle.

PH

I've been going through and trying my 97 Brunello and have about 1.5 cases left. They have all been ready to drink. A few have been disappointments but most are excellent. I haven't tried my Siro Pacenti yet. I've had poor luck with the Castello Banfi. Seems like the two bottles that I had were flawed.

quote:

They have all been ready to drink.

What were they, please?

PH

La Serena- 2 yrs ago- decent, nothing special, ready
Tenuta Caparzo- 1 year ago- superb, ready
Argiano- Excellent, ready
Castello Banfi- TCA x 1, 2nd bottle did not impress (also flawed?)
Poggio Antico Altero- Also seemed somewhat off.
Fattoria dei Barbi (Columbini)- Decent, ready to drink now (probably on the downslope)

I have more detailed notes on CT. As a caveat, I'm certainly no expert on Italian wines and have much less experience than I do with French or Californian wines.

Wines I have left (most singles):
Altesino
Argiano
Tenuta Caparzo
Fattoria dei Barbi (Columbini)
Azienda Agraria Lisini
Mastrojanni
Siro Pacenti
Poggio Antico
Poggio Antico Altero
Uccelliera
Valdicava

The 97 Poggio Antico Altero I had tonight with w+a was nice, although I thought it was a little tight - needed some more time to open as we drank it over the course of about 2 hours. My palate isn't near what his is however, and I'm interested to hear his thoughts. Funny how we talked nonstop but never commented on the wine.

I'd say it's doing fine and could go a couple more years, but there's not much more it's going to get from those years.

I just drank a bottle of 1997 Castello Banfi Poggio All'Oro (my sister visited the winery years ago and bought me a case). Was drinking great, but could it evolve with another year or two...sure maybe. But as my dad said when opening a 2000 Margaux "I'm drinking this now because I'll die before this matures."

I've been much more patient with my 2001s.

quote:

Originally posted by Vino Me:
I've had 10 Brunello over the last 2 years and none of them were over the hill. Some were in their drinking window and others still needed time. Great vintage which produced wines for the long haul contrary to what some experts said at the time.

'Very much agreed! I just had last week a '97 Fuligni Riserva that still looks and tastes youthful. I also had a '97 Siro Pacenti about a month ago which has awaken from an awkward phase and is absolutely delish!