My Tuscan exploration continues. Excited by a recent showing of the 1997 Argiano, I came across a bottle of the 1990 and took it to a favorite Italian restaurant called Sociale. Not only am I high on Brunello at the moment, particularly from the trustworthy producers whose wines age gracefully and properly, but the 1990 vintage has me rather excited to dive deeper into what is an exceptional year for Tuscany and Brunello di Montalcino in particular.
The 1990 Argiano showed really, really well. It’s mature, but has ample fruit and structure for continued development. Sangiovese’s hallmark acidity brought verve and liveliness that helped the wine develop throughout the meal. The wine revealed beautiful dark fruits, floral character, as well as notes of spice and mushroom.
My advice is to get into the 1990 Brunellos. Bottles from producers of balanced, age-able wines are certain to offer tons of pleasure at this point in time – I would imagine very few require more bottle age. This bottle is the most recent in a succession of great 1990s (such as Valdicava, Ciacci Piccolomini, Altesino) that I’ve recently tried. I haven’t found any over-ripeness, roasted qualities or imbalance that the year’s heat had brought to other regions such as Burgundy, Bordeaux and even Piedmont. There are tons of 1990 Brunellos floating around the market and through Vinfolio. They are truly worth your attention. Below are some prime examples:
1990 Costanti, Conti - Brunello di Montalcino, WS 93, $95
1990 Poggione - Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, WS 91, $135
1990 Pertimali (Livio Sassetti) - Brunello di Montalcino, $150
1990 Poggio Antico - Brunello di Montalcino, WS 91, $169
1990 Caparzo - Brunello di Montalcino Vigna La Casa, WA 91, $185
1990 Banfi - Brunello di Montalcino Poggio all'Oro Riserva, $189
1990 Costanti, Conti - Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, $225
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