2003 La Velona Brunello di Montalcino

SKU #1051034

La Velona's winery sits in the south east corner of the Montalcino growing zone just outside of the tiny hamlet of Castelnuovo dell'Abate, where it's warmed by the southern exposure and blessed with sunlight from the open view to Mount Amiata across the Orcia river valley. These vineyards always produce fully ripe grapes and 2003 was one of the hottest summers on record in Tuscany. The expectation was that the wines would all be cooked! Vineyard management is not a predictable science - when you're growing sangiovese it is an art form. So when I first tasted the 2003 La Velona Brunello at Vinitaly 2008, I was expecting some over ripe and burnt version, like a BBQ'ed Brunello! I was truly stunned by what I tasted, the elegance, balance, clean and fresh aromatic fruit character, vital and focused nature of this wine was anything but cooked. However after many reviewers pooh-poohed the vintage years before the actual release of the wines most 2003 Brunello did not have an awaiting public. Throw in a scandal, world financial crisis and it seems that there is still some of this really delicious Brunello out there and the owners need to move through it to get to the next vintage. Synopsis: You get a wonderful Brunello, drinkable now for less than a $20 bill! Stock up! (Greg St.Clair, K&L)

Price: $19.99

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 By: german wine  |  Review Date: 11/10/2009 
Quite a bargain at this price.....give it two hours to breath.

Additional Information:

Varietal:

Sangiovese

- Here is a list of our bestselling Sangiovese.
Country:

Italy

- Once named Enotria for its abundant vineyards, Italy (thanks to the ancient Greeks and Romans) has had an enormous impact on the wine world. From the shores of Italy, the Romans brought grapes and their winemaking techniques to North Africa, Spain and Portugal, Germany, France, the Danube Valley, the Middle East and even England. Modern Italy, which didn't actually exist as a country until the 1870s, once produced mainly simple, everyday wine. It wasn't until the 1970s that Italy began the change toward quality. The 1980s showed incredible efforts and a lot of experimentation. The 1990s marked the real jump in consistent quality, including excellence in many Region that had been indistinct for ages. The entire Italian peninsula is seeing a winemaking revolution and is now one of the most exciting wine Region in the world. For our entire Italian wine selection, click here. Click for a list of bestselling items from all of Italy.
Sub-Region:

Tuscany

Specific Appellation:

Brunello di Montalcino

- Made from 100% Sangiovese grapes from a specific clone called "Brunello" in the town of Montalcino. Situated in the southwestern part of Tuscany the town of Montalcino sits on a ridge about 400 feet above the Eastern plain. This ridge divides the region into three diverse growing areas. The northeastern part produces wines with brighter fruit, more cherry and high tone notes and somewhat leaner body. The southeastern portion often referred to, as the "Golden Triangle" is the home of Biondi Santi, the family who invented Brunello and championed its production for half a century before anyone else. This region produces wines with rich body, deep ripe cherry to plum fruit with lots of earth and spice. The third portion is the southwesterly facing slope which is the warmest (hence the ripest grapes), consistently producing wines with more breadth and richness. At the turn of this century, there were more than 150 growers who produce the 233,000 cases annually from the 2863 acres inscribed to Brunello.