November 28th was Brunello Day is eight cities around the globe - Shanghai, Tokyo, Zurich, Toronto, Vancouver and, in the United States (where 25% of all Brunello produced is sold), New York, Dallas and Miami. Other than a London tasting a few days earlier, this was the world premier of the 2019 Vintage of Brunello di Montalcino, one of Italy’s and the world’s greatest wines.

By Italian law, Brunello must be aged in such a way (combining barrels of varying sizes plus bottle age) that it may not be released until “January 1 of the 5th year following the harvest.” This is a bit of clever bookkeeping because it sounds as though the wine must be aged five years, but since it’s harvested in September 2019 and can be sold January 1st of the fifth year, which is 2024, it actually has about four years’ aging after the harvest. This extra aging gives the wines, made from the frequently tannic Sangiovese grape, some extra time to soften and gives those tannins a sense of polished richness./

I was honored to be one of the three US presenters of this beautiful and exceptional vintage, sharing six wines in a Masterclass in Miami and then another 60+ examples (including a few 2018 riservas) in a tasting organized by the region’s Consorzio del Vini di Montepulciano.

It’s intriguing to remember than in 1975 there were fewer than 30 producers of Brunello di Montalcino but the stunning growth in the wine’s international reputation has brought new investment and a flood of new producers. We had 70 wines on display in Miami Tuesday to showcase there 2019 vintage (along with a few riservas. By law, they must age an additional year before release so in that category we showcased the 2018 vintage.

A vintage that is approachable young, 2019 also possesses the concentration to age gracefully for 20 years. The Consorzio ranked the 2018 vintage as a four-star vintage, but 2019 they believe is definitely worth five-stars (out of five). For the Masterclass’s six wines I chose all family owned producers from various sub-zones to show the nuances these skilled winemakers and grape growers can bring to the wines. Many of them were founding members of the Consorzio in 1968.

The six seminar wines I showcased were:
* La Fornace 2019 Brunello di Montalcino
* Franco Pacenti 2019 Brunello di Montalcino
* Tenuta Silvio Nardi 2019 Brunello di Montalcino
* Corte dei Vente 2019 Brunello di Montalcino
* La Serena 2019 Brunello di Montalcino
* Col d’Orcia 2019 Brunello di Montalcino

What I found striking was the variety - some in an early drinking style and only a few with unruly tannins. Most producers using very large (20 - 40 hl) barrels keeps the tannins supple without diminishing concentration. The wines are lovely. 2018 was a more challenging year but the riservas I tried were uniformly polished, powerful and delicious.

These wines will be on the market January 1 or thereabouts and if you have a favorite producer considering purchasing six bottles, one to have soon and five left so you can open one every two years for the next decade. Salute! I’ve included a video of the wine lineup below.