I’ll give my colleague Ian Cauble credit: For all his Francophile tendencies, he knows a good Brunello di Montalcino when he sees one. He raved about Pietroso’s 2013 Brunello (as did the lucky few SommSelect subscribers who got some), and was equally, if not more, hyped about the new-release 2014 we’re offering today.
I felt the same, and it’s worth noting that this has not been our typical experience—overall, ’14 is not the vintage ’13 was, but you’d never know it by tasting today’s wine. This is a pitch-perfect example of traditionally styled Sangiovese from Montalcino: neither over-extracted nor over-oaked, but instead fine-tuned, firm, and as headily fragrant as a walk in the woods. And if you’re looking for a Brunello with the capacity to age, this is your wine—it’s characterized by freshness more so than tannic grip, and that’s what will preserve it over the long term. As I mentioned previously, I wasn’t aware of Pietroso before tasting their 2013; now, it’s on my “must visit” list for my next trip to Tuscany. These wines are the real deal!
They are also relatively rare, as Pietroso is a relatively tiny property: There are about 13 acres of vineyards across three parcels, on the western slopes of the Montalcino hill. Located just minutes outside the town of Montalcino proper, the original Pietroso vineyard covered just one hectare and was farmed by Domenico Berni, who originally made wines for home consumption but began releasing commercially in the mid-1970s. Today, Berni’s grand-nephew, Gianni Pignattai, runs the property (expanded slightly, to just over five hectares), with his wife and family. Their vineyards are planted exclusively to Sangiovese, at altitudes ranging from 350 to 450 meters’ above sea level, with the vineyards used for Brunello averaging 30 years of age.
As is clear once the wine is poured, this is unmistakably old-school Brunello—it has the medium-garnet hue one should expect from the Sangiovese grape, not the inkier cast some modern Brunellos display (usually from aging in smaller, newer oak barrels). That said, it is not “old-school” in the sense of being funky or flawed; this is squeaky clean and beautifully perfumed, with a delicate kiss of oak spice complementing the ripe fruit. Today’s 2014 first spent eight months in used, French oak tonneaux before being transferred to larger, 32-hectoliter Slavonian oak botti for an additional 30 months. This was followed, of course, by a required period of aging in bottle before release.
The 2014 is a deep garnet red in the glass, with perfumed aromas of red and black cherry, currant, blackberry, black plum, anise, rose petals, underbrush, aromatic herbs, and sandalwood spice. Like the ’13, the ’14 is medium-plus in body with a fine-grained quality to its tannins and loads of palate-enlivening freshness driving a long, aromatic finish. It has superb balance, making it somewhat irresistible to try now, but give it a good hour in a decanter if you do (and stash a few other bottles away to be revisited in 15 years). Serve it in Bordeaux stems at 60-65 degrees with fuller-flavored game birds like quail or duck, Tuscan hunter-style. It’s a memorable wine and an affordable collectible anyone would be thrilled to have in their cellar. Grab some!
