Description
Brunello di Montalcino: Understanding and Appreciating One of Italy’s Greatest Wines
For fans of Italian wine, few names command the level of respect
accorded to Brunello di Montalcino. With their earthy, wild-cherry
sensations and full structure yet smooth textures, top Brunellos have
the body and finesse of the most prestigious world-class bottlings from
Bordeaux, Burgundy and Piedmont.
Expert wine writer Kerin O'Keefe has
a deep personal knowledge of Tuscany and its extraordinary wine, and
her account is both thoroughly researched and readable. Organized as a
guided tour through Montalcino's geography, this essential reference
also makes sense of Brunello's complicated history, from its rapid rise
to the negative and positive effects of the 2008 grape-blending scandal
dubbed "Brunellogate."
Brunello di Montalcino helps wine
lovers maneuver their way among Montalcino's minefield of diversity by
breaking the vast commune down into seven distinct subzones, ranging
from the highest reaches around the town of Montalcino, which yield
austere, elegant wines destined for lengthy aging in cellars; down to
the lower plains in the deep south around Sant'Angelo Scalo, home to
immediate, muscular Brunellos with higher alchol and lower acidity; and
to all the other fascinating areas that lie between those two
geographical extremes.
O'Keefe also provides in-depth profiles of 58
carefully chosen wineries, big and small, famous and unknown, who
produce excellent Brunellos that best express the quintessential
chracteristics of both Sangiovese and the various subzones in
Montalcino.
List of Illustrations
Preface
Introduction. Brunello: A Modern-Day Phenomenon of Made in Italy
Part One. The Place, the Grape, the History, and the Wine
1. Montalcino
2. Temperamental Sangiovese: Location, Location, Location
3. Birth of a New Wine
4. Brunello Comes of Age
5. Boom Years and the Loss of TipicitÃ
6. The Brunellogate Scandal
7. Brunello Today and Tomorrow: The Return to Tipicità , or Business as Usual?
Part Two. Leading Producers by Subzone
8. Montalcino
9. Bosco and Torrenieri
10. Tavernelle
11. Camigliano
12. Sant'Angelo
13. Castelnuovo dell'Abate
Part Three. Beyond Brunello: Other Wines and Local Cuisine
14. Montalcino's Other Wines: Rosso di Montalcino, Moscadello, Sant'Antimo, Chianti Colli Senesi and IGT Toscana
15. Brunello, Rosso, and Food Pairing
Appendix A. Vintage Guide to Brunello
Appendix B. Brunello at a Glance
Notes
Acknowledgments
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
