Wine Advisor
Cerbaiona, Brunello di Montalcino 2020
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
The 2020 Brunello di Montalcino comes from a lacy and delicate vintage, offering a tight embroidery of berry fruit flavors and blue flowers that contrasts clearly with the power and density of 2019. The palate is mild and transparent, showing less mid-palate weight but having a soft, silky finish that emphasizes grace over force. Despite the very hot growing season, the wine remains poised and immediately appealing, reflecting Cerbaiona’s restrained approach to Sangiovese, with production totaling 12,653 bottles, 300 magnums and 30 Jeroboams.
Reviewed by: Eric Guido
The 2020 Brunello di Montalcino is spicy to the core, with an intense whiff of balsamic black cherries, dusty sage, allspice and cloves. It is soothingly round and ethereal in feel, with bright red and hints of blue fruit juxtaposed against tantalizing acidity. Nuances of blood orange and tart blackberry linger as it finishes with admirable length and an air of lavender. Blending 60% estate fruit with 40% purchased fruit from the northeast of Montalcino, the 2020 is incredibly approachable yet expertly balanced.
About the Producer
Cerbaiona was founded by retired Alitalia pilot Diego Molinari in 1977. The winery has remained one of the most sought after and historically important Brunello wineries from their very first bottling in the early '80s. The Cerbaiona vineyard had been a legend for nearly 200 years but with the advent of the Brunello DOCG it immediately began to shine on the world stage gaining cult status, sought after by collectors and connoisseurs. Consistently listed in the top five by Brunello collectors and critics alike, the secret to the success of Cerbaiona was in the terroir and vineyard microclimate as well as the traditional interpretation in the cellar. This created the perfect symbiosis of age-worthiness and delicious complexity which is the hallmark of great wines.
