Brunello in a Restaurant

There are a few factors at play here:

1) With the exception of Biondi-Santi and maybe Soldera, not a lot of attention was paid to Brunello in US until the last 5-8 years. Many more labels are imported now than before. 2) Before the explosion of regional Italian cooking over last decade, most restaurants were more or less generic "Italian". An upscale Italian place would put together a wine list with a few Chiantis, and a few Barolos - the most well-known names. 3) Brunello is more accessible young than traditional Barolo, so more likely to have been drunk young. 4) While good Brunello from a good vintage ages very well (in my limited experience), good Brunello for a mediocre or poor vintage doesn't. By contrast, Barolo from a mediocre vintage does ok. So I might buy a Barolo from a producer I liked 89, 88,87, 86, 85, 83, '82, '78, '71, etc. With Brunello I doubt I'd chance anything other than '88, '85, and '82. So less wines imported to start with, and less vintages still drinkable, means far fewer options.

Dale

Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply

You point out a number of important issues. Certainly throughout much of the US, the comment in para. 2 is the driving factor. Even in upscale eateries, the focus was on French, California and occasionally some German whites. In the last 10 years or so, there's been an explosion of interest in the broad range of Italian wines, as well as Australian, Oregon, Washington and many other regions.

One important factor is the ability of a restaurant to age wines. Buying old wines isn't really cost-effective for a restaurant and tying up capital in thousands of bottles being held for twenty years in the basement in the hope that a.) the restaurant will survive that long and b.) someone will want that particular wine in the long distant future, isn't at all practical.

Dale's comments on the age-worthiness of Brunello' is enlightening. It seems to track quite well with the experience I've had with a close friend who spent 17 years in Europe and returned to the US in '95. He brought back about 1500 bottles of Euro wines with a heavy concentration of Alsatian whites and Brunellos in a addition to a range of low-tier Bordeaux.

We've had the opportunity to share a number of the mid-'80s Brunellos over dinners in the last four or five years and I must agree that the drinkability has been only slightly above acceptable. Now, thanks to Dale's input, I know why.

Older isn't always better.

Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret) "When Thunder Rolled" Smithsonian Institution Press ISBN #1-58834-103-8

So there's hope for my last remaining bottle of 88 Giocondo Riserva then. It's a toss up between it and the 88 Musar for my 40th later in the year. I reckon the Musar (a magnum) is more likely to be at its peak (if OK). Any opinions welcome.

James James Dempster (remove nospam to reply by email)

You know you've had a good night when you wake up and someone's outlining you in chalk.

Some very interesting points. I have always thought that a Brunello would hold up with a Barolo (I know there are exceptions, I'm speaking generally here), but apparently that is not the case. Would it be fair to say then, out of my three favorite wines (chianti, barolo, and brunello) I would be able to drink the Chianit first, followed by the Brunello, and finally the Barolo (I mean in terms of aging)??

Also, how does a mature Brunello stand up to a mature Barolo?? I have had the pleasure to trying an '82 Cerretto Brunate two years ago that I remember as if it were yesterday. I would like to have that same experience with a Brunello. Would a '90 Brunello be of the same quality in terms of age??

Thanks...

cheers, dr

For a very late reply, in the 1960's there were about 150 acres in Montalcino under vine. I think Banfi has more than 150 acres now, and Banfi certainly stretches the outter limits of Brunello country. It is in flat farm land, about 30 km from the town of Montalcino.

For a vintage chart from the Brunello assn,

There are now close to 2000 hectares in vine, which is 5000 acres(did I convert that right).

Lichine, in his early encyclopedia 1969, has 3 very short lines on Brunello.

In 1929 there were 925 ha of "cultura specializata" and 1243 ha of "cultura mista". Phylloxera arrived as late as 1930. In 1970, the specializata was around 65 ha. Eight years later, 1978, there were

490 ha specializata and the cultura mista down at 50 ha.

M.