2006 Baricci Brunello di Montalcino

Hands down, Baricci is one of my favorite Brunello producers. Varietally classic without being to earthy and old world, this Brunello is rich, with spicy red cherry fruit and balanced perfectly with copius amounts of savory herb, leather and clean earth.

Dark cherry, red raspberry, cedar, and cinnamon on the nose and delivering on the palate make this young brunello surprisingly drinkable now- but there is enough acid and tannin that this can age for at least another 5-10 years. Jim Barr opened the 2001 for us on New Year's Eve, and the proof was in the glass that Mr. Baricci knows what he is doing. Then, we served this at our K&L Holiday party this year, and the entire staff demolished the supply! Hands-down my go to brunello for decanting and drinking now- I am thrilled to discover how this will show in another 5 years. Now the trick is hiding it from myself!

Drinking nicely now, this is a perfect example of a great Brunello, and for less than $40. Complex, rich, balanced, cherries, smoke, Cinnamon, cloves, and even a touch of cocoa, all within a very nice earthy frame.

Wow! What an extraordinary wine. Gorgeous structure with bright acidity and firm tannins, superb concentration and length, generous ripe fruit and rich texture. Still very youthful but already showing its class and potential. Tuck a few bottles away in the cellar. You will not regret it.

Tasted along side some of our other 06 Brunellos I was amazed at how well the Baricci is drinking. The aromatics are pronounced with dark brooding fruits, leather and hints of that famous earth. Plush rich fruit on the palate as the nose suggests and even the suggestion of some sweet mulling spices on the finish. The wine is well structured yet supple and balanced enough to drink alone. Sure Brunello is great to put away in your cellar but this one is most enjoyable open and in your glass!

The incredible quality of the 2006 Brunellos continue to absolutely amaze. It seems that every single one that Greg St.Clair, our Italian Wine Buyer, has brought in is stunning and great. A classic example of the greatness of this vintage can be found in the Baricci 2006. Medium-deep ruby in color, with a slight aged edge appearance, the nose on this Gem is loaded with currants and blackberry fruit, with roasted coffee bean notes and dusty mineral undertones. All this carries over nicely to fleshy, broad mouth-feel, supported very fine medium tannins, hints of anise, excellent acid structure and complexity, and a long, yet youthfully edgy, finish. Greg is telling most everyone that he is selling the 2006s to, to put them down until ten years from the vintage. I totally agree and socked away over four caes, myself. Anderson has informed that this will be one of our house reds in 2016. If you plan on trying this Gem in the near-term, open and decant about two to three hours before serving. It’s a great wine! 14.0% ABV (Jim Barr)

Another 06 Brunello that does not fail to impress. As Greg our Italian buyer has talked about with this vintage, the balance in this wine is just stunning. Fruit tannins and acid all working together in a harmony that delivers a wine that has dark fruit, a touch of earthiness and savory components, this wine is something I can’t wait to drink over the next half a decade.

I recently had this wine with dinner and I was too busy engaged in a feeding frenzy to jot anything down, but I remember it well and I had more or less the same reaction to the ’06 as the ’07. This wine is insanely good. Great complexity, balance, richness, tannins and length. Excellent. The wines of Baricci are decidedly old school; not dried out and aggressively tannic old school, but rich, lush, extremely well crafted and oozing not just Montalcino terroir, but the terroir of Montosoli, the "second" hill of Montalcino. I’ll lay my bottles of this down for at least 5 years, but if you can’t resist and want to pop a bottle in the near term, give it a good hour in the decanter and enjoy with some lipid heavy cuisine. Another amazing deal from our DI portfolio. CM

Classic “Montosoli” nose with lots of terroir (Montalcino dust and lots of minerals).spice, cinnamon, cardamom and anise with a touch of leather and brings that to the palate as well. This will need at least a half a day of decanting and will drink over the next couple of years. (Think 2016 and beyond).

The 2006 Baricci is a marvel of balance, and supple texture, the wine is layered with black cherry, cinnamon, anise, cardamom and sweet earth that are backed up by a bit of plumy richness. The wine is stunning and one of the best wines this winery, part of the original Consorzio, has made since 1968. The Baricci Brunello is always an anomaly in regards to the thicker, heavier wines it is such a pure expression of Sangiovese and in this vintage it is truly a classic!

Not as rustic as the Poggiarellino, but earthy enough to evoke the unspoiled Italian countryside. There's lots of spice to complement the wine's plum and cherry fruit, and the acid and tannins are already remarkably integrated for such a young Brunello. Tempting as it will be to drink now, I think this is really going to shine in another five years.