1997 Cerbaiola (Salvioni) Brunello di Montalcino

La Cerbaiola Salvioni is in southeast Montalcino, near the Val d’Orica. The estate is owned by Giulio Salvioni, whose debut release of the estate’s signature wine, Brunello La Cerbaiola, was the 1985 vintage. Salvioni’s father, an agriculture professor, made wine for his friends, and Giulio was inspired by his father’s success as an amateur to make wine professionally. Today Salvioni’s wife and two adult children also work with him on the estate. The 10 acres of vineyards are planted to Sangiovese. Salvioni produces 8,000 to 13,000 bottles annually. Gambero Rosso, Italy’s leading wine journal, typically rates the estate’s Brunello with the highest rating of 3 glasses. “The dynamic Giulio continues to produce wines with great personality,” notes Gambero Rosso. “Giulio’s style originated in the 1980s, when he developed a new concept of Brunello, featuring elegant, full aromas and very fine-grained tannins.”

Brunello di Montalcino is regarded as one of Italy’s best appellations. Located in south central Tuscany below Chianti, the wines of Brunello di Montalcino DOCG are made of a Sangiovese clone called “brunello,” which means “little dark one,” a reference to the brown tones in the skin of the grape. Unlike some Tuscan appellations that allow other grapes to be blended with Sangiovese, Brunello di Montalcino is entirely Sangiovese. Montalcino itself is a picturesque, hill-top town not especially well known for wine production until the mid-19th century, when a local vineyard owner isolated the brunello clone and planted it. Other growers followed suit. Nevertheless it wasn’t until 1970s that wine enthusiasts started paying attention to Brunello di Montalcino, which by then was becoming an outstanding wine. Today there are 120 estates in the DOCG, up from about 25 estates in 1975. Brunellos in general are bigger, darker, more tannic and more powerful wines than Chiantis or most other Sangioveses. By law they must be aged for four years, and two of those years must be in wooden barrels.