2019 Brunello di Montalcino:
BY ERIC GUIDO, VINOUS | DECEMBER 7TH, 2023
"This is a year where the entire region excelled, from southwest to east and northeast to west. Frankly stated, finding a 2019 that doesn’t show remarkable balance, vivid fruit and freshness is a difficult task. In my opinion, this is always a mark of a great year. The highs are exceptionally high, and the lows are few and far between. What’s more, this is a year where many lesser wines excelled, making picking out a 2019 Brunello a relatively easy affair."

"This is a vintage of radiance and appeal without any sensation of over-ripeness or lack of complexity. The wines are aromatically intense and full of dimension, with translucent color, fruit typicity and the ability to communicate a sense of place. They are structured and built for cellaring, often showing their best after being open for over two days in bottle. The terms classic, racy, cool-toned, crunchy and sleek litter my tasting notes, and while many 2019s display an inviting personality today, they are balanced for the cellar and sure to mature beautifully over the next ten to fifteen years, if not more. This is the vintage we’ve all been waiting for. "

Following the rainy 2018 vintage, the winter of 2019 was relatively cold, with moderate precipitation. Rainy conditions and below-average temperatures prevailed throughout April and May, which slowed the vegetative process, disturbed flowering to a degree and reduced the size of the clusters. However, these same rains built up water supplies in the soils, which paved the way for a successful warm and dry start to the summer. The highest temperatures reached during the season never exceeded 35° Celsius (95° Fahrenheit), nearly unheard of in modern-day Montalcino. Moreover, the temperature swings between day and night were drastic (15-20 degrees). These conditions were ideal for both a healthy flowering and little in the way of disease pressure. The rest of summer, while warm, was balanced and perfectly offset by refreshing rains at the end of July, the third week of August and the beginning of September. Favorable conditions continued leading up to harvest, sunny and dry." (E. Guido, Vinous)