92 RP
2019 - 2030
Brooding, thick and more opulent, the 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Gualto makes good use of its Riserva designation (which implies an extra year of aging before its commercial release). This wine sports a thicker textural composition backed by a darker and riper quality of fruit. This was a warm and dry vintage, and you taste that sweet ripeness as a result. The Camigliano winemaking team has done an excellent job of pulling out the more nuanced and delicate aromas that Sangiovese can award when treated with care and attention.
I had never visited this estate in the past, so my trip to Camigliano this year was a delightful eye-opener. First, let's talk about the view from this tiny hamlet perched high on a hill in the southern half of the appellation. Those vistas extend clear across an enormous panorama that starts at the Tyrrhenian Sea and moves over to Monte Amiata. Tuscany has Etruscan origins and an unchanged natural landscape like this takes you back in time. This estate counts 530 hectares of land, including 90 hectares planted to vines. Farming has been organic since 2017 and production is about 50% Brunello and 10% Rosso. A new winery was completed in 2007 and foresees alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in stainless steel followed by oak aging. The IGT wines go into barrique, but the Brunellos end up in 60- to 150-hectoliter botte made with Allier and Slavonian oak. Brunello Riservas go into smaller 25-hectoliter vessels. The estate produces anywhere from 150,000 to 170,000 bottles of Brunello, depending on the vintage, and just 3,000 of Riserva. I tasted through 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 in barrel. Blends for the 2015 Brunello are not yet final but show lively fruit. The 2016 vintage is more mineral-driven in comparison. Lastly, the 2017 vintage shows an impenetrable inky black color that is really something special.
