2009 Brunello di Montalcino

The 2009 Brunello di Montalcino wraps around the palate with sweet red berries, tobacco, mint, leather, smoke and game. Today the 2009 is ripe, flashy and exuberant. It is also drop-dead gorgeous. If there is one 2009 Brunello to buy in 2009, this is it. In 2009 Costanti did not bottle a Riserva; all the best fruit went into straight bottling. I am not sure how long the 2009 will drink well, but today it is a real beauty.

From the Colle al Matrichese location east of Montalcino’s city walls, the 2009 Brunello di Montalcino shows a rich fabric that is woven tight with evident strands of black fruit, mesquite smoke, crushed black pepper, licorice, rosemary oil and root beer. The wine leans away from the sweet side of Brunello to the savory side and that is ultimately what makes it so attractive. It is put together thanks to masculine and muscular touches with evocative shadings of smoke and mineral that shift and change as the wine opens in the glass. This bouquet is a moving target that keeps your fixed attention for as long as you have the wine in front of you. And, considering the general quality here compared to many of its peers, that won’t be very long at all. The mouthfeel feels a bit shorter than past vintages and that’s why this wine didn’t score higher. In the best vintages, Andrea Costanti’s wines impart an irresistible measure of excitement and heightened emotion that is evident in these new releases to a lesser degree. The magic is there, buried deep within, but feels somewhat out of reach given the challenging 2009 growing season. Importer: Empson USA, www.empsonusa.com

Deep, already mature-looking ruby with orange rim. Sweet gingerbread and baking spice with hints of sweet strawberry. Generous, sweet fruit on the palate, and just a little simple perhaps. (WS)