2010 Uccelliera, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany, Italy.
There is a lot of intense hype about the 2010 vintage Brunello wines, the expectations are sky high and many critics are jumping all over themselves to declare it the greatest year for Brunello in our lifetime! Will all this swirling around it is hard to see the forest for the trees, but yes it will be a classic vintage for this Tuscan region and it will be good to get some of these mythical wines for the cellar, but these wines are going to take some time to develop, fill out and right now on release are not showing their potential, much the same way Burgundy tends to be. If you were as excited as I was to taste these wines, you’ll need to take a deep breath and relax, they have plenty on offer, it just will need a few years in bottle, the best show reduction and are tight as a banker’s wallet. The new 2010 Uccelliera, from a long cool year in the hilltop town, will be majestic, it has everything in raw form to become a 95-98 point wine, but there will be a waiting period of 5 to 10 years to get the full picture here. Tasted on January 23, 2015 the Uccelliera brunette di Montalcino showed a closed nose with reduction and earthy red fruits, it has a remarkably pure and expansive palate revealing little of it’s future greatness, though the basic blackberry, plum, minty herb, tobacco, kirsch and savory spice are attractive, and while pretty shut down you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Polished firm tannins, good acidity and mineral tones make it clear this is one of the best structured Brunello vintages since 2004, and while the feel is somewhere in between a young Bordeaux and a young Burgundy, there is no question the quality is there and that this is a special wine, this is a serious Sangiovese Grosso. With air more beautiful elements come to play in the Uccelliera with incense, rose petal and cedar spice, licorice and meaty notes unfold, it will certainly be a joyful experience to revisit this well crafted wine in a few years, drink from 2018 to 2030.
($75+ Est.) 94 Points, grapelive
