2008 Giulio Salvioni Brunello di Montalcino

The 2008 Brunello di Montalcino is a terrific example of the year. Medium in body, and graceful, the 2008 is laced with an attractive mosaic of dark red cherries, savory herbs, licorice, flowers in tobacco. Naturally, the 2008 doesn't deliver the explosiveness or head-spinning appeal of the 2006 or 2007, but it will give Salvioni fans a fix while those iconic vintages age. An expressive, layered finish rounds things out nicely.

The 2008 Brunello di Montalcino is a terrific example of the year. Medium in body, and graceful, the 2008 is laced with an attractive mosaic of dark red cherries, savory herbs, licorice, flowers in tobacco. Naturally, the 2008 doesn’t deliver the explosiveness or head-spinning appeal of the 2006 or 2007, but it will give Salvioni fans a fix while those iconic vintages age. An expressive, layered finish rounds things out nicely. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2023. The Salvionis are one of the great families in Italian wine. A slight bout of the flu was not enough to slow down the boundless, gregarious Giulio Salvioni. These days, Salvioni is accompanied by his daughter, Alessia, very much a chip off the block in her pure energy. The Salvionis have two cellars, one in town, the other adjacent to their vineyards. Both are tiny, functional and stripped down to the bare bones. This year I was shocked to see a new labeling machine in the Montalcino cellar, the most modern piece of equipment to appear here in decades! Previously, all 10,000 or so bottles were labeled by hand. Salvioni produces four casks of wine in each vintage, all from Brunello-designated vineyards. In some vintages, one (or sometimes, two) casks are declassified to Rosso, as was the case in 2011 and 2009 respectively. In the great years, such as 2006 (and likely 2012) there is no Rosso. The Salvioni Brunellos stand out for their exceptional purity of fruit, finesse and texture, the results of a great site, meticulous farming and a traditional approach to winemaking. These remain some of the most distinctive wines in Montalcino. Importer: Vias Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 629-0200