Craig Sandler brought this gorgeous bottle of Sangiovese Grosso (the sole varietal in Brunello). Il Poggione Riserva is dense and heavy with black fruit on the palate. Its fine tannins are palapable but not out of synch with the balance or character. This wine is a monster and will continue to improve with age. $70; 91+ points
This Icardi is still wound up tightly, and it delivers a lot of power on the palate. This wine is going to last for a very long time and will be far more approachable in 10 years. $98; 92+ points
After 20 years, this beauty from Angelo Gaya is on a full-maturity plateau that is very soft on the palate, but with concentrated fruit expression complemented by subtle oak influence. The closest comparison for me is Chateau Latour, which is rarely overblown in terms of alcohol or extraction and delivers clear and precise fruit expression. This wine is a masterpiece -- many thanks to John Berghoff and John Robb for sharing it! $350; 97 points
Immediately when this wine hits the palate you know it is well-made; the tightly-wound black fruit is muscular and this wine seems to have higher acids (and a longer life ahead of it) than any of the other 1999 brunellos we tasted tonight. Thanks to Rich Johnson for sharing this, it was the first time I've had a taste from Casisano-Colombaio. $100; 92+ points
Norm Page brought this sexy Spuntali brunello to Don and John's tasting at Bin38 in San Francisco's Marina district. The wine shows a smooth and restrained body and despite its relative youth seems to be at full maturity. The black fruit is expressive without being explosive; this is a mellow brunello! $98; 91 points
This Cerreto Bricco Rocche (courtesy of Sean Fields) was the earthiest barolo we tasted at John and Robb's epic Northern Italian night at Bin38. The red plum and boisenberry fruit expression was unique in the tasting and the subtle spice on the finish complemented the smooth mouthfeel -- very nice indeed! $140; 92 points
This La Rasina (thanks Robert!) showed slightly hot (probably because of its relative youth versus the dozen-or-so older wines we'd tasted before it). The wine showed all the component parts it needs to have a long life: ripe (or slightly underripe) fruit & balance between fruit, acid, and oak. This wine is big, and at the 9-year-mark in its life it is showing far more oak than the older brunellos we'd tried -- and this type of sine-curve integration of oak and fruit will leave it favoring one or the other while it is maturing. This wine is in an "oak" phase of its maturation. $62; 90+ points
Gordy Abel brought this Fattoria dei Barbi and it was fun to drink it side-by-side with another '01. Brunellos are 100% Sangiovese Grosso and producers are required to cellar them for 5 years before release. If the best American cabernets were required to stay at the producer for five years -- the American public would have a higher opinion of their own wines! Italy was the first country to regulate their wine production, setting the standard that France followed later (and that the New World has largely rejected). This wine is in prime maturity already, showing a seamless integration of lean fruit and earthy accents. $50; 93 points
David Greenwald is to be thanked for bringing this Casanova di Neri Tenuta Nuova to John and Don's big tasting at Bin38. The brunellos we tried late in the tasting were from 1999 or later, and they were dramatically different -- probably because they are pre-mature (the older brunellos were far more similar). This wine hadn't integrated its component parts fully, with dark red fruit and oak in abundance -- check back on this wine in 7-10 years. $90; 89+ points
This was the second Caparzo that Emmanuel brought to Don and John's Barolo & Brunello tasting at Bin38. This was the youngest wine we tasted, and it was very interesting to taste a brunello at this phase of its maturation after tasting 10 before it that ranged from 1990-2001... This wine is bursting with spicy red fruit and lively acids. Drinking a young brunello is sort of like eating veal -- very tasty but also a bit sad that it never got to "grow up". $70; 91+ points
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