Putting the Vineyard into the Vintage

Judging from the 2019 grape-growing season in Montalcino, you'd have good reason to expect the region to have made some of its finest Brunello di Montalcino. And that's exactly what happened.

- JAMES SUCKLING

If you look at the grape-growing season for 2019 in Montalcino, you might expect the region to have made some of its best Brunello di Montalcino ever. In fact, I found two perfect wines during my recent blind-tasting of more than 200 different 2019 Brunellos at Castiglion del Bosco. I also rated eight wines from 98 to 100 points, and 57 bottles scored 95 to 97 points.

The weather in 2019 was a throwback to the late 1990s, with a wet spring that set up the vines nicely for the hot and dry summer. Moreover, very few heat spikes occurred during that time. July was relatively cool compared with recent scorchers, when mid-afternoon temperatures reached more than 40 deg C. Rain also fell in mid-July and August to revive vines during their growth. September was warm, with only a few showers during the harvest.

"2019 was really easy," said Federico Radi, the winemaker for Biondi-Santi. "We want to have more vintages like that. There was nothing difficult. The grapes were crunchy with a beautiful textural progression in tannins with a very deep and long finish, as well as just the right amount of bitterness at the end. It gave what sangiovese should be" in quality and character.

This crunchy and pure fruit character came through in many of the 2019 Brunellos I tasted, and I loved them. It's what I like to call al dente fruit, when the grapes are picked at just the right moment and they have sweetness as well as firm and crunchy skins. The seeds are comparable in taste to crisp coffee beans and they literally crunch in your mouth.