Page 12 - Italian American Herald - January 2020

12 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | JANUARY 2020 ITALIAN-AMERICANHERALD
VINI D’ITALIA
Humble Brunello emerges as challenger to the throne
By Frank Cipparone
Barolo may be regarded as the king
of wines, but there’s a challenger to the throne fermenting in the hills of Tuscany. Brunello has
a pedigree and history equally as impressive if not more so than Barolo. That hasn’t been lost on consumers worldwide, especially
in America. According to the Consorzio di Brunello di Montalcino, 70% of their annual production is exported to the U.S., about 5.5 million bottles, an amazing stat considering the average price hovers around $55.
Like most top-shelf Italian wines that have become famous, Brunello’s story is
one of humble beginnings. In the 1840s, Clemente Santi noticed a clone of Sangiovese growing around the town of Montalcino. His grandson Ferruccio Biondi began cultivating it at Tenuta Il Greppo and bottled the first
Brunello in 1888. The Biondi-Santi family, joined by a few others, led the way, but even into the 1930s fewer than a dozen producers existed. Montalcino and its wine placed a distant second to Chianti
in the Tuscan hierarchy. By 1975 only 25 wineries were turning out 800,000 bottles a year. Those numbers have grown tenfold since then.
That seems to suggest that more
land was given over to Brunello, which
is partially true. The number of acres doubled from 1960-2005, but that’s when the European Union placed a cap on the amount that could be planted within the DOCG boundaries. As farmers moved
away after World War II, land that was relatively inexpensive attracted buyers,
most of whom are still there. But from
1965 till the present the value of those 3,800 acres of vineyards has increased
a whopping 4,500%. Montalcino is becoming some of the most valuable property in the wine world, anywhere
from $775,000 to $1 million per acre.
Any new producers who buy in have to
wait five to six years to produce a harvest judged as worthy, and must then follow the minimum four-year aging requirement for their first release. They get no return on their investment for ten years. No wonder very little land turns up for sale.
That’s one of the factors accounting
for the high price of Brunello. Another is
the regulations governing its growth and production, among the most stringent in Italy.
• Must be 100% Sangiovese Grosso, of which Brunello is a clone.
• Must be bottled within the proscribed, strictly limited boundaries of the Montalcino zone.
• No blending is allowed, except for grapes from the same vineyard in which only Brunello is planted, and only from the previous year’s harvest, which must be signified on the label.
• Existing olive trees cannot be uprooted for more vines.
• Of the maximum allowable yield of grapes per acre only 68% may become Brunello. The rest may be used for Rosso di Montalcino DOC or as unblended Sangiovese IGT, or in an IGT
blend with other local grapes. (Note: this is great for the buyer. In a stellar vintage like 2015 and ’16 a Rosso will be really good, sort of a baby Brunello at a much lower price.)
• The most important regulation, and one which sets Brunello apart, regards aging. The wine can only be released after Jan. 1 of the fifth year after the harvest. For example, 2015 is just now coming into the market, but 2016 won’t be available until next year. Earlier, excellent years like 2010, ’12 and ’13 can be had – but at increasing prices as supplies dwindle.
Even those restrictions weren’t enough to forestall “Brunellogate,” the 2008 scandal that exposed wineries that were growing Merlot, Cabernet and Petit Verdot and putting 10-20% of those grapes into their “Brunello.” Thirteen producers, some well- known with money and clout, were investigated. The Italian press was in an uproar when they arrogantly contended that some land around Montalcino wasn’t suitable for Sangiovese,
so other grapes were needed and should be allowed to sport a Montalcino DOCG label. Let’s be honest, it was all about profits.
Thankfully, tradition and prestige were upheld by the Ministry of Agriculture and the
resolve of the Consorzio. The mavericks were informed they could make their imposter wines but could only brand them as Toscana IGT. In an ironic twist, the U.S. government had already blocked imports of Brunello that did not have proof of being solely Sangiovese. Faced with the prospect of losing ground in the growing U.S. market the offenders fell into line.
To maintain quality and meet climatic changes, the rules were revisited in 2016, even though most wineries had met or exceeded the standards. The key was permitting more vines an acre and at the same time lowering the grape yield per vine to produce riper, more concentrated fruit and ensure more complex and age worthy wine. Growers were also given the latitude to plant at altitudes up to 2,000 feet to offset warming trends that were having a negative effect on ripeness.
So, what is Brunello like these days? In general, an elegant, powerful wine that can age beautifully, one that’s more aromatic and firmer than Chianti, darker and deeper in flavor. Finding Brunello is easy and there are a host of reliable producers, among them Caparzo, Silvio Nardi, Altesino, Col d’Orcia, Mastrojanni and Il Poggione. IAH