2020 Brunello di Montalcino La Cerbaiola

I tasted the Salvioni 2020 Brunello di Montalcino La Cerbaiola at the winery with Giulio Salvioni and his daughter Alessia after a long walk in the vineyards on a crisp autumn morning. There were a couple of really cute dogs running around as well. This is a gorgeous expression, and it is so important to see the vines and soils when considering a wine like this. Schistic galestro with quartz give this Brunello elegant mineral tones that frame a core of wild fruit and pressed violet. The wine shows that pretty pinch of citrus or blood orange that you often get with classical Sangiovese. The style is bright, transparent and finely polished.

The last vintage tasted from barrel at this visit with Alessia Salvioni, the 2020 Brunello Di Montalcino La Cerbaiola shows off a mineral-noted profile up front, with forward notes of graphite, dark berries, and violets. Medium to full bodied, it continues to the palate with a fantastic stony texture and a persistent finish. This is poised to be a phenomenal vintage from the Salvioni family and their team. In January I met with Alessia Salvioni in the original historic cellar that is based in the center of the town of Montalcino, and the estate also has a second cellar in the vineyard where the fruit undergoes fermentation before being transferred to the casks at either facility. They have 20 hectares in total, with only four hectares of vineyards that are all classified as Brunello vineyards, so in the years that they do produce a Rosso di Montalcino, it comes from the same vineyards. In the vineyards, they have two parcels, the original plantings with older vines planted in 1980 and 1985, and the second parcel originally planted in 1990, with replanting taking place in 2000 and 2017, all at 447 meters elevation. Harvest occurs when they feel the grapes have achieved full ripeness, which tends to be on the later side. Fermentation occurs in temperature-controlled stainless steel with vigorous pumpover. In the cellar, they take a pure approach using 20-hectoliter Garbellotto Slavonian oak casks.

The 2020 Brunello di Montalcino seduces from the glass with a complex and layered bouquet as pine shavings and mint lift black raspberry aromas. It features a bouquet with whiffs of dried orange peels, saddle leather and Tuscan dust. This hovers across the palate, graceful and serene, casting a silken feel and remaining seemingly weightless and refined. It showcases ripe red and hints of blue fruit complemented by violet inner florals. The energy within is spellbinding, especially when combined with the sapidity of its fruit. The 2020 tapers off long and fresh, with sweet tannins that make for a perfect punctuation to the experience. Salvioni found a beautiful balance in the 2020 vintage that shows no sign of the warm conditions one might expect.