Vineyards near to Montalcino.
Critical acclaim has created a buzz around the Brunello di Montalcino 2019 releases not seen since the 2016 vintage, according to early reports from merchants.
‘Brunello enthusiasts will be spoiled for choice,’ said Decanter’s Michaela Morris in her recent Brunello di Montalcino 2019 vintage report.
Davy Żyw, senior buyer at Berry Bros & Rudd, said, ‘2016 was of course a watershed vintage for quality, but also [buyer] demand. Since then, we’ve had two good vintages – with the denser 2017 and the charming 2018, which we have had solid demand for, but not the same success as [with] 2016.
‘Brunello is back on track with 2019; it is a truly attention grabbing vintage.’
Fellow UK merchant Goedhuis & Co began offering Brunello 2019s in mid-February. ‘It’s been a really good start,’ said Charlie Whittington, Tuscany specialist and associate director, private clients.
He said the group had planned a relatively concise campaign, partly to gauge customer demand. ‘We’ve released five or six growers [and] all of those have sold through,’ he said. ‘We’ve got two or three more to come.’
Brunello di Montalcino wines have a strong following in the US, and Andrew McMurray, head of retail and Italian buyer at Zachys Wine & Liquor, also reported high demand for the 2019s.
‘We currently have 85-plus different selections from the vintage and have seen some extremely brisk advance interest, with 5,000-plus bottles already committed to by clients on a pre-arrival basis.’
As well as critical acclaim, McMurray
