Brunello 2018 vintage report

Smoky red fruit aromas. Red fruit, floral, some black inky minerality but incredible concentration of primary red fruit backed up by some some slightly savoury notes. Powerful. Lovely fresh acidity, firm supple silky tannins leading to an exceptionally elegant body. Beautiful spice and cedar and perfectly ripe fruit, masterful balance. It isn't trying to be over-extracted or over-ripe, but neither has it gone down the path of freshness and austerity.

Medium pale. Slight eucalyptus, bitter almonds, and floral aromas. Red cherry fruit with a dark black velvet inner core. Firm juicy fruit. Beautifully youthful vibrant tannins, almost berry-pippy, somehow incredibly fresh and zippy with long fresh acidity. Alcohol is wonderfully integrated - I am surprised to see this is 15abv. I love the sweet nutty earnest tannins that are round and warm and supple right up until the finish when they rear up and refuse to let you go easily. Beautiful wine that will be only better in a few years.

Floral pot pourri. Very pale red. Long fresh acidity with ripe cherries, wild strawberry and blossom silky smoothness gliding over the palate and around the powerful, chewy tannins. A lovely balance of a wine showing great potential to age while being beautifully drinkable now.

Subtle chocolate, vanilla, and a hint of menthol-eucalyptus on the nose. Mineral and blue flowers. Firm minerality (somewhat reminiscent of the Banfi Marrucheto). Cool firmness plays off well against the intensely ripe fruit and generous extraction. Powerful grip, structure, and powerful blue-black velvet fruit. Beautiful acidity and extremely interesting tannins - they're moderately powerful but incredibly fine-grained and managed. A hint of oaky sweetness on the finish, combined with soft ripe stone fruit. Beautifully balanced, fantastic intensity. Age-worthy but a real joy to drink right now. Extremely skillful winemaking at work here.

Toasty oak, subtle herbal spice and coffee grounds on the nose. Youthful and vibrant. Grounded by gorgeous long acidity, mouthwatering and crunchy. Youthful, firm, grippy chalky tannins. Crunchy, moreish, nutty. I'm really surprised by how young and cool-climate barely ripe this seems - the acidity is vibrant and energetic, the fruit is redcurrant fresh, gently floral, but oh-so-beautiful. I'd give a slight edge to the Montosoli if I had to pick one.

Cedar and floral aromas, intense spice and cooked apples. Lovely delicacy of raspberries, cherries, fresh acidity - crisp, cool minerality. Tannins are firmly structural but a lovely and almost soft prettiness develops on the finish, with great structure and very firm acidity. Very pretty would love to come back in a few years.

Ruby red. Smoky sandalwood and cedar. Vibrant acidity, juicy cranberry and redcurrants. Floral, perfumed, orchard fruit. High alcohol but barely evident. Beautiful oak. Silky tannins. Joyous, serious, vibrant. This may be a Rosso but don't expect entry-level.

Mahogany red. Fresh leafy aromas, ripe juicy supple red fruit with rich black chocolate supple tannins. Very easy drinking even now! Vibrant acidity, extracted but vibrant tannins. Lovely complexity, beautiful combination of fruit and structure with good intensity. Love the pomegranate freshness and bruised red apples that last well into the finish.

Red. Closed cedar aromas, hints of garrigue. Intense jammy black fruit, well-extracted spice. Rich and luscious with long fresh, fine acidity, subdued but crunchy tannins. Slightly grainy texture. Lovely balance. Lots of black cherries. Pretty extraction that makes this more drinkable than expected for 2018. Creamy chocolatey smoothness on the finish combined with subtle notes of roasting coffee and black berries. Lovely wine that does what Brunello does best.

Surprisingly big, jammy, ripe fruit on the nose opens out to opulent redcurrant fruit on the palate, coupled with zesty fresh acidity and menthol, eucalyptus, herbal and delicate cherry notes. Some pretty nutty depth coming from the oak supports the freshness with well balanced tannins and some deeper note of dark chocolate emerging later. Nice complexity, well-balanced, and recognisably Sangiovese aromatically and structurally - especially the fine lacy acidity.

Very pale red. Honeyed jasmine floral notes on the nose. On the palate very ripe fruit, delicate cherries with fresh leafy hints on the finish of the long high acidity. Textured, furry black chocolate and spice tannins, the alcohol adding extra richness. Overall this wine is fresh, vibrant, youthful and elegant with well-integrated tannins. 

Cherry fruit. Slightly lifted aromas, herbal and fresh menthol. Black chocolate and rounded minerality. Very tight, dark, almost powdery tannins. Slightly sweet oaky vanilla contributing very prettily to the fine tannins, fruity green apple acidity. Lovely coolness and balance. Very fine, elegant fresh wine with age-worthy tannins and some rather lovely fruity aromatics. Linear structure, elegant fruity finish. Very different to others of the vintage - commonality is the long fresh acidity.

Spice on the nose. Big black spicy jammy fruit with very firm mineral tannins and typical Sangiovese high acidity. Tannins are supple and fresh and very firm with a slight leathery note and black chocolate and violets. Much more accessible and drinker-friendly than Brunello. Lovely elegance, fruity, approachable - for the price, it's a great alternative to Brunello that's actually going be a much better fit for most people.

Purple blood red - and opulently jammy, fruity, supple. Gorgeous, firm, dry and grippy tannins (slightly mineral) that manage to be both crisp and youthful and velvet-smooth. Crisp red fruit and lots of it, beautiful tannins, lovely structure. Long fresh acidity - a refreshingly mouthwatering mouthful. What an absolutely stunning wine that has everything I want and just feels young and vibrant and fresh while still having depth and a premium feel overall.

Very pale. Slightly tarry dried fruit, lots of cherries. Fresh acidity - amazingly alcohol not very evident, which is really surprising. Dried tannins. Delicate, very ripe fruit.

Fairly restrained nose - some mellow restrained aromatics. On palate, tight restrained tannins that are very structural and not dominating. Good acidity. Beautifully youthful.

Slightly herbal, lots of black fruit on the nose, leading to saline, steely, inky mineral red fruit and firm grippy furry acidity. Tannins are firm but discrete, leaving the fruit to shine. Structure restrained and closed, leaving it balanced today but begging to be kept for a few years to open up and showcase its power and extraction.

Mahogany red. Dark fruit aromas continue on the palate with  intense concentration of ripe black fruit, dried fruit, ripe toffee sweetness, supple black velvety and powdery tannins with hints of smoky oak. The big crunchy redcurrant acidity - really mouth-wrenchingly extracted, balances the fruit and gives freshness leaving with the pretty,  sweetly-ripe fruit in the background keeping things interesting. Big, classic, nicely balanced.

Red. Ripe floral aromas, pt pourri, blood oranges. Delicately charming with ripe firm integrated tannins. Stunning acidity. Fresh silky fruit and tannins. Not sure if it has long ageing potential - very modern, approachable, and enjoyable today.

Spice and intense ripe fruit with floral perfume aromas. Firm tannins, quite a serious structured wine. Fine black fruit and long fresh acidity with a saline mineral finish balancing the black fruitiness. Certainly a fruitier, supple take on Morellino.