Brunello 2013 vintage: A sneak preview
Stephen Brook got a preview of the Brunello di Montalcino 2013 vintage at an event hosted by specialist merchant Vinexus in London. Read his report below, and Decanter Premium members can see his ratings from the tasting.
Brunello 2013 at a glance:
A cooler year producing more elegant wines
Homogenous conditions across the region
Moderate alcohol levels
This Brunello di Montalcino 2013 preview tasting, two months before the official release date, proved a pleasant surprise. Those looking for big, rich, tannic wines will be disappointed, but those who prefer more restrained and elegant styles will find much to enjoy.
After a great vintage in 2010 and very good, if less consistent, wines in 2011 and 2012, it was easy to be dismayed by reports that 2013 was a cooler year and, moreover, experienced rain during harvest.
But preliminary reports, based solely on climatic conditions, rarely tell the whole story.
Article continues below the wines
Brunello 2013 wines to look out for from this tasting:
Only Decanter Premium members can access full tasting notes and see scores.
The bigger picture for Brunello 2013
There is the crucial matter of vinification, especially with a variety such as Sangiovese, which can easily show astringency if too extracted. Once vinified, the wines will spend two years in oak.
The fashion for barrique ageing has subsided, and most wines are aged in larger casks or in older 500 litre barrels, so excessive wood influence is rarely an issue these days.
On paper this was not an auspicious vintage. The spring was cool and wet, and growers had to be vigilant against disease. The summer was uneven, with some cool periods in August and no heat spikes. A good September helped conclude the ripening period, and the bunches remained healthy.
Rain was certainly a problem in October but by then most grapes had been picked. There were fears that some producers may have picked too early, but there is little to confirm this in the glass, with very few wines showing herbaceous or weedy characters.
A frequent difficulty in the Montalcino zone is that it is geologically and climatically varied. North of Montalcino the elevation is high and the microclimate cooler, while in the far south, at lower elevations, bunches can be exposed to extreme heat in very hot years such as 2003 and 2017, resulting in cooked fruit and a lack of freshness.
Blessed, then, are those with access to fruit in more than one zone, as they can blend judiciously to produce balanced wines. Yet in 2013 this was not really an issue as the climate was homogeneous across the region.
Alcohol levels are moderate and medium-bodied wines are the norm, with the best showing delectable finesse and balance. Moreover, there is no reason to think they won’t age well.
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Armilla, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
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Canalicchio di Sopra, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
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Altesino, Montosoli, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
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Buon Tempo, P.56, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
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Caprili, which lies south of the town at over 300 metres, has been a steady performer for decades. It remains resolutely traditional, fermenting with natural...
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La Gerla, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
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Lambardi, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
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Agostina Pieri, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
This family-run property of 11 hectares lies near Sant'Angelo in the warm, southern part of the region. The wine is aged for one year in...
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Pietroso, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
Located just west of the town at a high elevation., the Pietroso vineyards occupy 5 hectares. Vinification and ageing are traditional, with long ageing in...
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Poggio Antico, Altero, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
Altero has long been Poggio Antico's shot at a more modern style, with more evident oak influence than the traditional Brunello. After two years in...
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Buon Tempo, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
American wine distributor Janet Lindsay acquired these parcels of old vines in her favourite region about ten years ago, and this is the more accessible...
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Val di Suga, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
Val di Suga is a large estate with some 40 hectares of hillsides under vine in three distinct subzones of the region. There are separate...
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Armilla, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
This small 2.5 hectare property is located near the Tavernelle subzone and is owned by the same family to which the neighbouring Caprili estate belongs....
2013
ArmillaBrunello di Montalcino
Canalicchio di Sopra, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
This reveals black and red currants infused with mint and savoury earth. The palate is energetic, streamlined and gripped by firmly fastened tannins, which need...
2013
Canalicchio di SopraBrunello di Montalcino
Altesino, Montosoli, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
Altesino is a large property, and its pride and joy is the five hectare single vineyard called Montosoli, north of the town. A cool, lofty...
2013
AltesinoBrunello di Montalcino
Gianni Brunelli, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
Restaurateur Gianni Brunelli founded this estate in 1988 and soon acquired a reputation for the quality of his wines. Since his death in 2008, the...
2013
Gianni BrunelliBrunello di Montalcino
Poggio Antico, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
Paola Gloder has run this 32 hectare property with great flair since her family, originally from Milan, bought it in 1984. The vineyards are among...
2013
Poggio AnticoBrunello di Montalcino
Altesino, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
The regular blended Brunello from Altesino has a more exuberant nose than its single-vineyard Montosoli bottling, but there's lovely purity and lift too.The attack is...
2013
AltesinoBrunello di Montalcino
Buon Tempo, P.56, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
The somewhat clinical 'P.56' refers to a specific parcel at this property. It lies at a height of 350 metres and only the smallest clusters...
2013
Buon TempoBrunello di Montalcino
Caprili, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
Caprili, which lies south of the town at over 300 metres, has been a steady performer for decades. It remains resolutely traditional, fermenting with natural...
2013
CapriliBrunello di Montalcino
La Gerla, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
La Gerla's 11 hectares are divided between two sectors: one near the town at 320 metres, the other in the warmer south. Winemaking is traditional,...
2013
La GerlaBrunello di Montalcino
Lambardi, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
From vineyards located just north of the town at 300 metres, Maurizio Lambardi practices severe selection when deciding which wines to release as Brunello. This...
2013
LambardiBrunello di Montalcino
Agostina Pieri, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
This family-run property of 11 hectares lies near Sant'Angelo in the warm, southern part of the region. The wine is aged for one year in...
2013
Agostina PieriBrunello di Montalcino
Pietroso, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
Located just west of the town at a high elevation., the Pietroso vineyards occupy 5 hectares. Vinification and ageing are traditional, with long ageing in...
2013
PietrosoBrunello di Montalcino
Poggio Antico, Altero, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
Altero has long been Poggio Antico's shot at a more modern style, with more evident oak influence than the traditional Brunello. After two years in...
2013
Poggio AnticoBrunello di Montalcino
Buon Tempo, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
American wine distributor Janet Lindsay acquired these parcels of old vines in her favourite region about ten years ago, and this is the more accessible...
2013
Buon TempoBrunello di Montalcino
Val di Suga, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2013
Val di Suga is a large estate with some 40 hectares of hillsides under vine in three distinct subzones of the region. There are separate...
2013
Val di SugaBrunello di Montalcino
