Review: Col D'Orcia 2006 Brunello

The low-down: Brunello di Montalcino, along with Barolo and the Super Tuscans, are Italy's most celebrated wines. However you do have to be careful with brunello ... in the 1960s there were 11 producers, today over 200. Where did they come from? What practices do they employ? And where did this wine growing land come from?

Col D'Orcia are a Montalcino stalwart. They're a top quality grower with the third largest estate in Montalcino - 140 ha under vine (110 ha is for brunello) - located on the south-west border of Brunello di Montalcino.

There is a great Decanter article (February 2013 edition) on them. Some interesting insights via Decanter:

- In 1975 the family replaced wheat and tobacco crops to grow more sangiovese (thank god!)

- In 1988, to better understand sangiovese, they partnered with the University of Florence pioneering Sangiovese clonal research

- In 2008 and 2011, unlike most of the other large houses in Brunello, they opposed proposals to allow grapes other than sangiovese being blended into Brunello and Rosso

See if you can find their single-vineyard flagship Brunello: Poggio al Vento, released in only excellent vintages. They also produce a Super Tuscan cabernet blend: Olmaia.

We picked this up from Dubai Duty Free for 46 Euros. They are also selling a Col D'Orcia 2010 Olmaia and a 2011 Rosso di Montalcino we opened last month.

In all we've opened a 2008 Bottega Brunello, a 2006 Fattoi Brunello and a 2001 Antinori Pian delle Vigne ... tonight more brunello for our bello!

The take: The appearance is light, clear, browny-red, with runny legs. A sweet, floral nose - notes of honey, dried fruits, cinnamon, chalk and cream. The attack is juicy! Plenty of sweaty acidity! Delicious, fruity (black fruits) without the sugar. A peppery bite though that doesn't settle. With time it reveals those typical brunello characteristics: grainy and raisin-y. It pairs really well with the pasta we're having!

In closing: Juicy fruit, pepper on the side.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Fact corner:

Country: Italy

Region: Brunello di Montalcino (DOCG)

Producer: Col D'Orcia

Vintage: 2006

Grape: Sangiovese

Alcohol content: 14.0%

Serving temperature: 18°

Price range: Premium

#photo #review #red #brunello #italy #2006 #premium #658outof10