Wine Advisor
Salvioni, Cerbaiola Brunello di Montalcino 2004
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Salvioni’s 2004 Brunello di Montalcino is made in a style that brilliantly reconciles a modern approach in the vineyards (tiny yields, full phenolic ripeness) with a traditional approach to winemaking (long macerations, cask aging). An explosive, super-ripe wine, this Brunello flows from the glass with mesmerizing richness and stunning balance. The gorgeous red fruit carries through all the way to the finish, where flowers, tobacco and spices add further complexity. In many ways, Salvioni’s Brunello di Montalcino is the region’s equivalent to Giacomo Conterno’s Barolo Cascina Francia, a wine with which it shares many attributes. Simply put, this is a gem from Giulio Salvioni, and it is not to missed! Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024. Importer: Vias Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 629-0200
About the Producer
Surrounded by woodland, the 20 hectares of La Cerbaiola look out over the Val d’Orcia from an altitude of 420 metres, opening up like a gently sloping plateau four kilometres to the southeast of Montalcino. The air is clear, a slight breeze rustles the leaves, and on the hillside opposite the outlines of Pienza, San Quirico and Ripa d’Orcia are clearly visible. There are three small vineyards for a total of 4 hectares, each with its own characteristics: soils that vary from chalky schist to stony marl; and subtle differences of micro-climate that influence the ripening of the grapes. All the work in the vineyard is carried out by hand, with hard pruning to obtain low yields of fruit and careful selection during the manual harvest. Production is deliberately limited, to obtain the very best from a unique terroir: 10,000 bottles a year when only Brunello is made; and 15,000 for the years in which there is also some Rosso di Montalcino.
