Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/490558
{ SOMMjournal.com } 47 "The acidity is there. Tannin is there. The fruit sits in the back palate. Is this a good place to start? Yes, as a base element, these are babies, but with great structure." Next, the Sorrena offered up a more muscular wine, a bit rounder on the palate. The Biadaioli, all agreed, showcased a beautiful and classic varietal definition—"almost blood orange, that citrusy quality on the nose, a head-scratcher, then you taste it . . . I'm gonna have to pull my teeth off my lips! And that is Brunello," Dame said, with a big smile. Lastly, "The Poggioni showed the most balance and even keel—the winemaker is going to have a great time with these," he said. Next we sampled the heralded and much anticipated 2010s. First up was the Castello Banfi 2010 Brunello Classico, which was earthy, but not rustic, showing plums and deep berry fruit. "This will age beautifully because of the balance," said Dame. Of the 2010 Poggio alle Mura, aged 24 months in the hybrid fermenters with Slavonian and French oak barrique staves, Dame said, "I hate to use the word 'classic' but this is it—dark cherry, dark plums, firm, not harsh tannins, high alcohol but I'm not back- ing off—it's balanced." Next was the 2010 Poggio alle Mura Riserva, a barrel sample, presented for the first time. The wine garnered praise around the room. "It's just beautiful," said Dame. Lastly, the 2010 Poggio all'Oro Riserva, also a barrel sample and the first time presented, was loaded with complexities showing impeccable balance of fruit, spice, oak, and a racy acidity that brings the wine into focus; chalky, with coffee and mocha on the finish. "If I was teaching a class, I could say this is what Brunello should be," remarked Dame. Sommelier Joel Caruso added: "The fruit, earth, tannin, acid and alcohol all come together in a wonderfully harmonious union of sensory satisfaction. All this is from a barrel sample?" "And just imagine," chimed in Mariani-May, "the winemaker must decide two years into making Brunello what is to be Riserva, but most of that decision is made in the vineyards." The final two flights served to answer to the quintessential question of longevity. We first sampled the 2007 Brunello Classico, 2007 Poggio alle Mura, 2007 Poggio alle Mura Riserva and 2007 Poggio all'Oro and tasted side by side the 1997 vintage of the same wines (except for the Poggio alle Mura Riserva, which was not produced until 2010). The 2007s were lovely, showing balance between bright red fruit character, robust tannins and noticeable minerality. The 1997 Brunello Classico was on fire. "This is where you want to catch a wine," said Dame. "This is balance: fruit still in tact, tannin still there and it carries that fruit through the finish. We deserve this!" The 1997 Poggio alle Mura was pure grace and still showing lots of fruit—and inspired a col- lective murmur of awe. The final wine tasted was the 1997 Poggio all'Oro, which showed lots of maturity and power and according to Dame, "A freight train of fruit." The 2007s, most concluded, are drinkable today, while the 2010s are getting there. Dame reminded us that this is a "far cry" from the Sangiovese wines produced two centuries ago. "They had to be monsters, so you had to lay 'em down." A professorial Dame then rhetorically asked, "Will these wines hold up?" and holding up a glass of the 1997 Poggio alle Mura concluded: "That is the answer," to nods of agreement around the room. "Everyone making Brunello has a different vision," said Dame. "But if you look at the farming and what they're doing and the techniques they are employing at Castello Banfi—good luck catching up." Sean Van Straatum (left), Beverage Director at L'Ermitage Beverly Hills, and Joel Caruso, Wine Director at Pizzeria Ortica. Smiley Quick, Wine Buyer for Vendome Wine & Spirits in Toluca Lake, CA, chats with Cristina Mariani-May. More to Come on Brunello . . . I fell in love with Brunello in the mid-1970s, when I first visited Montalcino, the charming medieval town where this long-lived red wine is made. It has always been a particular passion of mine. Recently I had the oppor- tunity to taste through a selection of Brunellos from the 2010 vintage. They are extraordinary—the best I've ever tasted. In the June issue of THE TASTING PANEL, I will write about this great wine and its once-in-a- lifetime vintage, and review a selection of wines from that year. —Anthony Dias Blue