2005 Brunello di Montalcino Piaggione
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Tasting notes
The 2005 Brunello di Montalcino Piaggione has started to soften, but it still has plenty of life ahead. Crushed flowers, dried cherries, cinnamon and sweet tobacco are some of the notes that inform the super-expressive bouquet. Today, the aromatics come across as a bit more evolved than the fruit, while the tannins remain a bit raw. Overall, the 2005 has held up well, but the volatile acidity is high and the wine's balance sits on the razor's edge, so it is hard to see the wine improving from here. Instead, what is more likely is that the components will become increasingly unhinged over time.
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Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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The 2005 Brunello di Montalcino Piaggione is a sensual wine endowed with layers of ripe fruit that come to life in the glass. There is a combination of richness and transparency that is quite alluring. A second bottle was quite a bit more firm, suggesting the wine will need a few more years in the cellar for some of the tannins to soften. This is one of the more imposing, deep wines of the vintage, and it will require patience.
The 2005 Brunello di Montalcino Piaggione is a sensual wine endowed with layers of ripe fruit that come to life in the glass. There is a combination of richness and transparency that is alluring. A second bottle was quite a bit more firm, suggesting the wine will need a few more years in the cellar for some of the tannins to soften. This is one of the more imposing, deep wines of the vintage, and it will require patience. That said, I tasted three bottles of the 2005 Piaggione, and there appears to be a degree of bottle variation. Some bottles have been sweet, open and delicate, while others have been more stern. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2025. Proprietor Francesco Leanza makes wine loaded with personality. The vineyards are farmed biodynamically, while winemaking is very much traditional in approach. The estate's Brunellos are made from the Piaggione and Teatro vineyards, both located between Montalcino and Castelnuovo dell-Abate. A Leonardo Lo Cascio Selection, Winebow, Montvale, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620