2010 Brunello di Montalcino Selezione Zebras
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Tasting notes
Villa I Cipressi's 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Zebras is dark and inviting to the core. Black cherry and plum notes show the more intense side of Sangiovese. Hints of spice, leather and licorice develop in the glass, adding further shades of nuance while sweet, silky tannins add to the wine's near term approachability. This is a surprisingly juicy, fruit-driven style for I Cipressi and the vintage overall, but it works.
Critic scores
Average Score
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Mid crimson and high toned. Firm tannins and perhaps very, very slightly too sweet for my taste. More open than most. (JR)
The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Zebras is a selection of the estate's best fruit. It is also made in a much more overt, fruit-driven style that emphasizes juiciness. Dark red cherry, plum, spice and licorice flesh out on the bold, racy finish. Personally, I prefer the straight bottling by a pretty wide margin.
Spicy and dark from the start, the 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Zebras offers a bigger, bolder style compared to the estate's base Brunello. There's more extraction and richness here as well as a deeper sense of dark fruit, leather, root beer and dried rosemary. All that intensity works together with seamless integration. In the mouth, the wine shows silky tannins and long persistency that is driven by licorice, cola and spice characteristics. This is a successful expression for the classic 2010 vintage that should hold well over the next decade or two.