You know you have a great bottle of wine when you look forward to drinking it again…
Name: CastelGiocondo Brunello di Montalcino
Vintage: 2009
Producer: Tenuta CastelGiocondo, Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi
Region/Country: Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy
Grape Varietal(s): Sangiovese
Consumed: October 1st 2016 at home
Recommended By: LCBO vintages
Cost: $50
Bottle Presentation: Classic and distinctive. We appreciated the look and feel of the ribbed label, an indication of quality and forethought
Appearance: Clear, light, garnet
Nose: Clean, cigar box, cedar/oak, with a touch of leather and dark berries, perhaps red/black plums
Taste: Evolved over the evening, a sign of complexity, and included cigar box, cedar/oak, leather, parmesan cheese, anise/black licorice, and earthy notes
Finish: Long. The intensity of the alcohol mellowed over time.
Overall Impression: After a good decant, the wine demonstrated its balance and complexity. We enjoyed it with fries, grilled steak, and grilled red onion. To our pleasant surprised, we enjoyed this wine on its own and felt disappointed when nothing remained in our glasses. We would definitely by more than one bottle next time to circumvent this “problem.”
Rating (from 70 to 100): 91/100
Value: 4/5 Although a little on the expensive side, relatively speaking, it was well worth the cost.