Woof! Just kidding. That sounds gross. Read about Brunello over breakfast, ok. Decant a Brunello after breakfast, saving it for dinner (and in this season taking precautions against drosophila), yes please...
I came across something quite unexpected yesterday. A great value Brunello di Montalcino. It's not a monument for your cellar. It's not a big name. It's just a fabulous red wine that happens to come from a famous (famously overpriced?) region.
It comes from the hot 2017 vintage, and it's a wine marked by the season's growing conditions. It's ripe and fruity for Brunello, it is a bold and expressive Sangiovese, but it's also clearly on the "old-school" side for the region, made in a style that emphasizes freshness, a style that can work so well in warm years. It is not overripe, nor particularly extracted, it is raised in old large-format oak (80hl!), and it is built for dinner. It will be great with all sorts of grilled fare this summer, or save a few bottles for long-braised dishes in the winter.
Bartoli Giusti Brunello di Montalcino 2017 - $40
day 1: Aromas of cherry, plum, a little raspberry candy and sweet orange, tobacco, licorice, clove, mint, rosemary, vague flowers. There's a pleasant subtle grilled/roasted character, ethereal notes of stone fruits and herbs on the grill... Medium to full on the palate, pretty easy tannins for young Brunello, layers of fresh and dried fruits, complex earthy and herbal character. Finishes bold and assertive, with tangy dark fruit and grippy tannins, nice balance for the very hot vintage
day 2: holding up nicely, the fruit is a little sweeter and the floral element is more apparent, still a classic grippy Sangiovese, on the riper side but quite fresh and composed for a 2017, drink now and for another few years, I wouldn't push it in the cellar
This is already a great (REALLY GREAT) deal, but if you order a case (12 bottles) from us by Friday, June 9, we'll knock 20% off your order, bringing it to $32 net per bottle. The wine will arrive next week.
Please ask questions or place orders by emailing orders@craftandcru.com
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