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In fact, however, many Brunellos are already approaching drinking maturity when they come onto the market in the fifth year after the harvest (Riserve need at least one year longer). The majority of wines reach their peak between 8 and 12 years and maintain this level for quite a while. Those who are basically counting on eternal shelf life could experience disappointment if they wait too long; only the best examples not only simply hold out, but mature for 15, 20 or even more years with profit.
The Brunello zone has grown massively over the past decades. Whereas at the beginning of the 1960s there were just 60 hectares, today there are around 1500, shared by more than 200 producers. Despite this enormous expansion of the area and the accompanying criticism of the suitability of many wines to bear the famous name, the average quality of Brunello is still relatively high today. This may also be due to the fact that the minimum storage time in the barrel was drastically reduced in the 1990s, which benefited the less stable wines in particular. Weak or washed-out examples are very rare today.
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So today we find a broad midfield of very good wines, from which a small number of genuine top growths stand out. They are all powerful and voluminous; alcohol contents of less than 14 per cent by volume are the exception rather than the rule, requiring a certain complexity and depth to achieve the right balance. At the top of our list are those exceptional wines that also have finesse or even real elegance
We have tasted around 130 wines for this BEST OF in the last few weeks. As always, we present the best ones here and in a handy PDF. A link to all tasting results can be found here.
Photos: Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino