The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino PS has put on quite a bit of weight since I tasted it last year, but it remains more delicate and less imposing than the 2004 Brunello. The richly textured, vivid Brunello di Montalcino PS jumps from the glass with seamless layers of fruit. Impeccable and refined throughout, the wine offers extraordinary balance and elegance. Sweet mentholated notes add further complexity to the fruit, as the wine gains a measure of volume and depth that carries through to the refined, silky finish. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024.
Giancarlo Pacenti continues to prove he has the magic touch when it comes to making rich, textured wines that show plenty of Sangiovese character. My visit this year with Pacenti was fascinating as I had an opportunity to taste through a number of older Brunellos going back to 1988, most of which have aged very well. Pacenti is one of the few producers who does not believe in the single-vineyard approach to Brunello, preferring to blend fruit from plots near his winery, on the northern side of Montalcino, with those he owns in the southern part of the region. The Brunello PS, a single-plot Brunello Pacenti made for the first time in 2004 (there will be no 2005) is the exception. The Rosso is a second selection of barrels that don’t reach Pacenti’s exacting standard for Brunello. All of the wines are aged in French oak.
Importer: Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300