Wine Advisor
Salvioni, Cerbaiola Brunello di Montalcino 2016
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Eric Guido
The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino slowly comes to life, opening with a smoky, brooding and dark bouquet. It first unleashes its florals with crushed roses and hints of geranium, then deepens to reveal black cherry and raspberry, and finally a chorus of tobacco and wild herbs. You could lose yourself in the glass. The 2016 is incredibly silky and textural, displaying a youthful density that tempts the imagination while casting a savory display of mineral-tinged dark fruits, more black than red, with hints of dried orange and exotic spice. A saturation of fine tannin awaits on the finish, previously masked by the Salvioni’s primary power, as a mix of sage and hints of licorice slowly fade. There is so much potential here; but today, the 2016 is in dire need of cellaring. I tasted the 2016 multiple times over the course of two days and it didn’t budge.
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
The Salvioni 2016 Brunello di Montalcino La Cerbaiola has some punch and lift to it with aromas of wild rose, cola and forest berry. The wine's personality, and its strict adherence to a classic Sangiovese tradition, is consistent with the house style. What sets the 2016 apart is the depth of the fruit and the pronounced length of the finish, which is driven by structural power, acidic freshness and dryness on the tannins. The wine reveals a deep ruby color with a slightly darker hue and more richness in this vintage, and that extra heft will serve the wine well as it completes its aging trajectory.
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.
