Wine Advisor
Conti Costanti, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG 2006
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva emerges from the glass with freshly cut flowers, sweet red berries, licorice and spices all wrapped around a sensual, elegant frame of notable class. Considerable aeration is needed to bring out the wine’s depth and textural richness. This is an excellent wine, but more often than not I am attracted more to the straight Brunello here, as is the case again in 2006. Costanti gave the 2006 Riserva 36 months in oak, 18 months in medium-sized barrels followed by 18 months in cask. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026. These are two beautiful Brunelli from Andrea Costanti, one of the few producers who has had the skill to give his wines a little extra polish without abandoning what is essentially a traditional style. Importer: Empson, USA, Alexandria, VA; tel. (703) 684-0900
About the Producer
Costanti is one of the finest estates in Montalcino, producing very high-quality Brunellos that are elegant, complex and extremely long-lived. Andrea Costanti runs it in collaboration with consultant oenologist Vittorio Fiore. The estate is situated in Colle al Matrieche in the eastern zone of the Montalcino district and the 7 hectares of vineyards are located on a high ridge 400 metres above sea level. At harvest time Costanti employs a rigorous selection process which ensures that only the finest quality fruit is used. His Brunellos are typically backward, dense and fairly impenetrable in their youth. They require bottle ageing to show at their finest and, when fully mature, they are amongst the richest and most harmonious wines in the district, displaying copious amounts of dark cherry and blackberry fruit, bolstered by svelte and elegant tannins.
