Brunello di Montalcino - Lowest Price on the Internet - 91WA

Sometimes the subject line can say it all! As Brunello lovers know, it's rare to find a good Brunello di Montalcino for $29.99, but sometimes we find a way to make this happen!

This featured wine is Fattoria de Lecciaia Brunello di Montalcino 'Manapetra' 2005. It received a 91 Point rating from the Wine Advocate, and is said to contain a lot of juice that normally goes into the estate's Reserva bottling, which I'm sure accounts for some of its complexity and classic Brunello di Montalcino qualities.

As with all incoming wines that we bring into Varmax, our wine team tasted this wine the day it came in. It did have great pedigree, and of course a great price, and we wanted to know just what exactly this wine was like. What we found, after a lot of swirling in our glasses to allow the wine to open up, was a ready to drink Brunello, exhibiting all of the classic Brunello characteristics - black cherry, dried cherry, some leather, chocolate, great tannic structure, and a medium-full body.

To me, what is most appealing about this bottle of Brunello is that it is accessible now (but will definitely improve over the next 5 to 10 years), it is at a very, very good price for Brunello di Montalcino, and it exhibits all of the qualities that you would look for in a Brunello. This wine is a winner for all Brunello lovers!

From the Wine Advocate - Rated 91 Points - "The 2005 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Manapetra offers greater volume and richness than the normal bottling, but that alone doesn’t make it a better or more complex wine, especially as the French oak is a bit more in evidence. Here the aromatics are decidedly cleaner and show better focus. The Manapetra reveals gorgeous generosity in its spiced, warm fruit, and a long, round finish with better overall balance than the regular bottling. In 2005 the estate used the grapes normally destined for the Riserva Manapetra to strengthen the regular Manapetra bottling. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2022."

Enjoy this delicious Brunello di Montalcino with game meats, veal dishes, stews, all classic pairings. Also, give it a try with some of your grilled foods this summer - bbq steak, ribs, even burgers!

Cheers!

Tracy Maxon

tracy@varmax.com