2006 Uccelliera Brunello di Montalcino
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Tasting notes
The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino opens with an enticing whiff of lavender and black tea leaves, hints of violet pastilles and crushed blackberries. This is wildly fresh, with stunning acidity and bright red berry fruits, displaying an almost impossible liveliness for its age. It finishes crunchy and long, with a licorice and tart blackberry tinge, as the slightest tug of residual tannins lingers under an air of blue and purple inner florals. What an absolute beauty this is and it is still slowly maturing in bottle.
Critic scores
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
(15% on label): Good deep red. Black fruits, licorice, black pepper, spices, underbrush and minerals on the nose. Dense and sweet but also nicely structured, offering good energy for such a creamy wine. A bit unwieldy today owing to its high alcohol, but the wine's powerful tannins are nicely supported by ripe, deep fruit. Give this at least four or five years to come into harmony.
The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino is a striking wine blessed with gorgeous clarity and precision in an effortless, weightless style. Dark cherries, tobacco, incense, dried flowers and minerals come together beautifully in the glass in this sensual, understated wine. Tobacco, licorice, menthol and an assortment of other balsamic aromas and flavors add complexity and character to the vivid, textured finish. This is a fabulous effort from proprietor Andrea Cortonesi.
The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino is a striking wine blessed with gorgeous clarity and precision in an effortless, weightless style. Dark cherries, tobacco, incense, dried flowers and minerals come together beautifully in the glass in this sensual, understated wine. Tobacco, licorice, menthol and an assortment of other balsamic aromas and flavors add complexity and character to the vivid, textured finish. This is a fabulous effort from proprietor Andrea Cortonesi. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2026. I would be hard-pressed to name another grower who has made such huge strides in recent years as has Andrea Cortonesi. The artisan tradition of Montalcino is alive and well in this small, no-frills winery, while the wines have never been better. A Marc de Grazia Selection, various American importers, including: de Grazia Imports; tel. (417) 732-4200; Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; (516) 677-9300, Estate Wines Ltd., San Rafael CA; (415) 492-9411, Robert Houde Wines, Bensenville IL; (630) 422-1119