2007 Rosso di Montalcino

The 2007 Rosso di Montalcino is one of the more massive Rossos in this vintage. In fact, it is one of the few wines that may actually require a year or two in bottle for the tannins to soften! Super-ripe red cherries lead to kirsch, earthiness, leather and spices as this full-bodied, tannic Rosso struts its stuff. The wine possesses exceptional depth, purity and class. Proprietor Vincenzo Abbruzzese elevates Rosso to another level with this effort, but readers will need to be patient. The Valdicava Rosso is made from the estate’s youngest vines, all of which are Brunello-designated. In 2007 Abbruzzese gave his Rosso an additional 4-5 months in cask above the usual 8-10 months. He describes the wine as “too important for a Rosso” and I tend to agree as this is by no means an approachable, easy going wine. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2022. Valdicava has been somewhat of a controversial property over the last few years. The Brunellos are typically very concentrated and dense when young, which can make them hard to assess. Make no mistake about it though; these are very serious wines whose only difficulty lies in giving them a few more years in bottle than the vast majority of Brunellos. A vertical tasting last year going back to 1988 published on www.erobertparker.com showed that the Valdicava Brunellos age exquisitely. Importer: Vinifera Imports, Ronkonkoma, NY; tel. (631) 467-5907