1990 Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino
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Tasting notes
The 1990 Brunello di Montalcino is subtle with underlying power, showing only moderate bricking around the rim and a deep ruby color to the core. This lifts up with dried black cherries, old spice box, dusty florals and undergrowth. It’s deeply alluring and textural, as fleshy black fruits wash across the palate, giving way to a mix of minerals and zesty spice. There’s still so much energy here, tapering off long and spicy, with a cheek-puckering residual tension and tart cherry-berry flavors that seem to linger for well over a minute. A glorious expression of mature Brunello.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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The 1990 Brunello di Montalcino is a fabulous example of the heights Brunello can reach. Racy and sweet on the palate, the 1990 simply towers with its magnificent expression of Sangiovese. Hints of cedar, tobacco, white pepper and orange peel add an element of exoticism that is incredibly intriguing. The flavors are sweet, layered and exquisitely nuanced. With time in the glass the 1990 continues to blossom, offering superb resonance and a pure visceral thrill that equals all of the enthusiasm the vintage received when it was first released.
This sensationally concentrated, huge, full-bodied wine possesses enough tannin to make it nearly impenetrable. The color is an opaque garnet/ruby, and the nose offers up significant evidence of superb ripeness and intensity. Extremely full-bodied and tannic, with massive fruit extraction, this spicy, yet tightly wound Brunello has awesome potential ... if readers are willing to wait another 5-8 years for the magic to unfold. It should keep for 25-30+ years. Importer: Vinifera Imports, Ronkonkoma, NY; tel. (516) 467-5907