The Wine Buff Gorey - Tornesi Brunello Di Montalcino 2016

The Tornesi Brunello spends 24 months in oak and is a rugged style typical of traditional Tuscan wine making. It is still young so quite tannic, worth opening for a few hours before drinking. The nose opens up to dark cherry, oak and coffee, on the palate its acidic with rich dark fruit flavours and an earthy finish.

Brunello di Montalcino comes from a very distinct and designated (DOCG – officially designated in 1967 as one of Italy’s first DOC classified wines) region in Tuscany about 70 miles south of Florence, Brunellos typically are the best wines produced from the Sangiovese grape. By regulation, Brunellos must be produced by using a 100% Brunello clone (Grosso) of the Sangiovese grape, hence the mystic and lore of this exceptional wine. Typically, Brunellos are among the most expensive Italian wines.

The winery is still family operated, with Maurizio Tornesi at the helm of both viticulture and winemaking and his father Gino working along side him. A true Tuscan farmer, as authentic as they come, who knows the land of Montalcino and the Sangiovese Grosso grape like the back of his hand.

The Tornesi Brunello vineyards are next to the famed vineyards of Biondi-Santi, the heavily steeped vineyards benefit from the higher elevation and the excellent exposure, providing fruit that not only possesses acidic backbone and intense aromatics, but also ripeness and body.