The 2008 Rosso di Montalcino is a fragrant, juicy wine with attractive ripe fruit and sweet, candied notes on the finish. Like so many Rossos in 2008, it falls short of the customary level of quality here. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2012. I was blown away with the wines I tasted at Uccelliera this year. Proprietor Andrea Cortonesi showed me the entirety of his Brunellos in cask, which provided fascinating insights into the evolution of this small, family-run property. To be honest, I had never been a huge fan of Cortonesi’s Brunellos until the 2004 vintage, as I often found the wines excessively heavy. Not coincidentally, 2004 is the first year Cortonesi worked with lower temperatures in fermentation which resulted in wines of superb elegance and delineation. Uccelliera is now without question one of the handful of top producers in Montalcino. A Marc de Grazia Selection, various American importers, including: de Grazia Imports; tel. (417) 732-4200; Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; (516) 677-9300, Estate Wines Ltd., San Rafael CA; (415) 492-9411, Giuliana Imports, Boulder CO; (303) 547-6343, Robert Houde Wines, Bensenville IL; (630) 422-1119

This is very tart, with lemon and berry character. Simple. This is disappointing, considering the excellent quality of the Brunello. Drink now.??–JS??Region: Italy / Rosso di Montalcino Select to Add