Fattoria dei Barbi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2005

This Riserva of Brunello is made only in the best vintages from Barbi's oldest vineyards in Montalcino.

The ageing in barrel and in bottle is longer then the one for the normal Brunello, thus the wine has a deeper concentration and a wider complexity of aromas. The vineyards are planted at an altitude of between 350 and 500m a.s.l. with an exposure to the South East. The vines are planted in a gravely soil with small amounts of clay and alluvial deposits. The harvest took place by hand during the last weekend in September and the first week in October. Ageing is for four years in large Slovenian oak casks and matured in bottle for a further year before release.

By eRobertparker.com, 93+Points

The 2005 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a cool, taut wine laced with sweet red cherries, flowers, tobacco and licorice, all of which come together on a focused, mid-weight frame. The tension between fruit, acidity and structure is beautiful to behold. Readers who enjoy firm, ageworthy Brunelli will love this Riserva. Today the wine is fresh and vibrant, but it should develop even more fully over the coming years as the tannins soften. This is an impressive showing from Barbi. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030. 

Vinification

Before the fermentation the grapes were subjected to a cold pre-fermentative maceration which consists in cooling the grapes at a temperature of 16° C in an environment protected by CO². This process increases the extraction of polyphenols and aroma compounds. The regular alcoholic fermentation followed and lasted 16/17 days at a controlled temperature of 27°- 28°C. After the racking and the malolactic fermentation the wine aged in small-medium size oak barrels (2,25 – 15 hl) for the first months Later it completed the aging in larger oak barrels, for a total period of three years. Our Brunello Riserva is bottled at least 6 months before the release.

Capacity of ageing

20/25 years. Keep the bottles horizontally in a dark place at a temperature