Tasting Report: 2006 Brunello di Montalcino Riservas Show the Magic

I view the current release of 2006 Brunello di Montalcino Riservas as yet another chance to buy and drink more extraordinary Brunellos from an extraordinary vintage. For the most part, I am not sure that the riservas are all that better than the regular bottlings of 2006 Brunellos, even though they were released a year later in bottle and they are supposed to be a better selection of Sangiovese. They are usually more expensive.

So far, I have tasted about 95 Brunello di Montalcino Riservas in blind tastings in Tuscany, and almost all of them were outstanding quality. Just over a dozen were superb quality; I scored them all 95 points or more.

One wine – the 2006 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino Madonna del Piano Riserva – is a perfect wine. Yes, I scored it 100 points. Most of you already know this because I rated it a tentative 100 when I tried it on video in the cellars of Validcava in Montalcino about a year ago. And it’s the same quality level, or better. Check out a video shot a few weeks ago when I tasted the wine with Valdicava’s owner Vincenzo Abbruzzese in his cellar near Montalcino.

The 2006 Brunello di Montalcinos remain my favorite Brunellos ever despite the 2007s being so wonderful. Check out my tasting report on the 2007 Brunellos last week. The 2006s have a little more freshness, a little more subtlety, and a little more class. I love the richness yet tension to the 2006s. I love their vibrant acidity and energy. They challenge you with their complexity and structure. They intrigue you with how they change in the glass.

This said, the 2007 Brunellos are also excellent and slightly fruiter and more generous.

As I wrote in the past, this freshness and vividness in the 2006s can be attributed to the warm and sunny growing season in Tuscany with very cool, fresh, yet dry nights. This retained the acidity in the grapes, and thus, the wines. “It’s truly an exceptional year,” said Roberto Guerrini, the owner of Eredi Fuligni, which made a super riserva Brunello.

Most of the wines I rated in this report could be opened and enjoyed today, although I would recommend decanting them a good hour or two before serving. They would be better to drink in two or three years. And they will improve for decades ahead. Get some.

 

Also tasted, but not receiving marks of 90 points or more:

2006 Donatella Cinelli Colombini Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2006 Collelceto Brunello di Montalcino Elia Riserva 2006 Fattoria La Lecciaia Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2006 La Mannella Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2006 La Poderina Brunello di Montalcino Poggio Abate Riserva 2006 Poggio Salvi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva