Wine Advisor
Salvioni, Cerbaiola Brunello di Montalcino 2006
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
Also boasting a traditional winemaking approach, I thought that Salvioni's 2006 Brunello di Montalcino has held together much better than the 2006 Brunello we tasted from Cerbaiona. This is a beautiful wine that delivers a more controlled and consistent evolution. It drinks beautifully right now, but the tonic freshness of the fruit implies that it still has a long way to go. The bouquet opens to fine layers of dried fruit, licorice and balsam herb. Background tones include crushed mineral, tar, juniper and cured bresaola. There is enormous integrity here with energy and zesty crispness at the back. The tannins have been curbed and now show their softness and silkiest form. This is a true beauty and is one of the wines that most delighted me in this tasting.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino is shaping up to be a modern-day legend. Sweet roses, hard candy, cherries and flowers make a stunning first impression. Based on its breathtaking inner perfume and sweetness this could easily be mistaken for a first-rate Barolo or Barbaresco, but then the tannins hit the palate with the much more friendly personality of Sangiovese. The delineation of aromas and flavors is head-spinning, while the finish is utterly seamless. This is a profound, breathtaking wine from Giulio Salvioni. Wow! Anticipated maturity: 2016-2031. Giulio Salvioni made what may very well turn out to be the wine of the vintage. The house style favors low yields, long macerations and aging in cask. 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.
