One of the benefits of dynamic, continual coverage of the Italian wine scene is that I'm not constrained by print deadlines, advertising or other external influence that determines what I cover and when. I mention this because now, one and half years removed from the release of 2009 Brunello, where have you seen coverage about this vintage? The answer is nowhere.
When I published my comprehensive report on 2009 Brunello, I noted several characteristics of the harvest and the resulting wines that were impacted by the heat of the vintage. This leads almost uniformly to early accessibility and easy enjoyment of the wines. It's the perfect vintage for restaurant wine lists as few, if any of the wines require cellaring to be at their best.
With any vintage, there will be wines that stand out and one such wine was the Campogiovanni. Now, al little over 1 year since originally tasting the 2009, I decided to check back with it and see how it's progressing
The Campogiovanni Estate lies on the
southwest slopes of Montalcino and extends for over 65
hectares, 14 of which are dedicated to vineyards. The estate is owned
by the stalwart Chianti Classico producer, San Felice. The vineyards,
planted as far back as 1966, are comprised of clay, sand
and minerals deposited by the sea and lie at elevations of approximately
300 meters.
The 2009 Campogiovanni Brunello is a deep garnet color. We decanted the wine for about 30 minutes prior to dinner in order to develop the aromas. No sediment was observed.
Aromas are perfumed and exude from the glass with ripe crushed wild berries, exotic spices, new leather and leaf tobacco. On the palate, the wine is still presenting nicely complex flavors of crushed red fruit, baking spices and soft leather and minerals. Texturally, the tannins display a lovely dusty nuance that I absolutely love. This is refined and accessible and drinking very well. To date, it's one of the few 2009 Brunello I've bought for my own cellar. Fermented in stainless steel and aged 36 months in Slavonian cask. Very well done. 93 points and a great value around $40.
Salute!
Aromas are perfumed and exude from the glass with ripe crushed wild berries, exotic spices, new leather and leaf tobacco. On the palate, the wine is still presenting nicely complex flavors of crushed red fruit, baking spices and soft leather and minerals. Texturally, the tannins display a lovely dusty nuance that I absolutely love. This is refined and accessible and drinking very well. To date, it's one of the few 2009 Brunello I've bought for my own cellar. Fermented in stainless steel and aged 36 months in Slavonian cask. Very well done. 93 points and a great value around $40.
 |
| ~ The 2009 Campogiovanni Brunello continues to be a winner from a difficult vintage ~ |
Salute!
John, any feel for the drinking window on this wine. I also have a few bottles of this in my cellar and trying to gauge when to drink them.
ReplyDeleteJoe D
Joe,
ReplyDeleteWelcome back! It's drinking great now and hasn't changed much at all in 18 months. It's got plenty of fruit and although lower in acid than a more classic vintage, I can't see this sliding much within 5 years. There's clearly some time left. If you've got a few, I'd try one now.
Cheers,
J