Tasting Report: A Few Outstanding 2008 Brunello di Montalcino Riservas

I have seen a number of comments from people who say that the 2008 Brunello di Montalcino Riservas are poor quality, but this just isn't the case. Of course, it is not a great vintage and not many wineries made a riserva in 2008, but what I tasted a few weeks ago was surprisingly good quality. Some were exceptional such as the Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto and Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino Poggio Alle Mura Riserva. I scored both 94 points.

The fact that Casanova di Neri and Castello Banfi made superlative 2008 riservas underlines what great single vineyards they have. These two vineyards are some of the best in Montalcino, and the best vineyards made the best riservas 2008. Check out the video on Cerretalto below.

It wasn't an easy vintage in 2008, just like 2009. As I wrote before, the vintage was complicated due to intermittent rains in late September and October. Hail didn't help in some vineyards in August. But people who worked hard in selecting the best grapes possible made the best wines.

Just like the normal bottlings in 2008, the riservas here are all very drinkable and I don't see much point in aging them. Of course, you can. But why not just buy and drink?

Below are the notes and scores for the 2008 Brunello di Montalcino Riservas.