Talenti Brunello di Montalcino 2016

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

A selection of 100% Sangiovese grapes grown in estate-owned vineyards located on the south-easterly and south-westerly slopes of Montalcino, at an altitude from 250 to 400 m (asl).

About Talenti

In the 1950s Pierluigi Talenti moved from Romagna to the gently rolling and sunny hills of Montalcino. After a few years, he decided to acquire the estate and all its lands he had fallen in love with.

Through the years, he devoted his time to the clonal research of Sangiovese all over Montalcino, taking his wines to the highest levels of quality.

Today, his grandson Riccardo Talenti runs the winery and continues that research with the utmost respect for tradition, working with the very same passion and determination.

In the Vineyard

The estate has been developed around an old farm called “Pian di Conte”, not far from Sant’Angelo in Colle, on the southern slope of the municipality of Montalcino, which has been restructured and expanded over the years. The property occupies an area of 40 hectares, among vineyards, olive groves, orchards and seed crops, surrounded by age-old holm-oak woods, characteristic of the Montalcino area.

We cultivate and tend our land with respect for tradition, harvesting the grapes and olives by hand. The vineyards are divided into eleven different plots, each with different altitude, exposure and soil composition, creating red wines that are incredibly complex and profound. We have always had a passion for the cultivation of olives which are a very traditional element within the Tuscan landscape. We grow the Correggiolo and Moraiolo varieties, from which a bright green and intensely scented oil is extracted

In the Winery

We hand pick the best grapes and place them in small containers to preserve their integrity. Later, the bunches and individual berries undergo further selection to obtain the best of every harvest. We think that the birth of a fine wine also depends on constant research into new technologies. During fermentation in steel tanks we personally check every process, from pumping over to punching, every phase being temperature-controlled. In the barrel cellar there is a strong link between tradition and a continuing effort to improve.

The wine ages in 500-litre French oak tonneaux and 15 to 25-Hl Slavonian oak barrels for at least 24 months, followed by a period of ageing in bottle for the time required to enhance the aromas and the character that make our wines unique and inimitable.. The wine has a deep ruby red colour with garnet highlights, and an ample, slightly spicy bouquet. It is full, intense, smooth and velvety on the palate, with sweet, elegant tannins.

The 2016 Vintage

From Vinous ‘2016 Brunello di Montalcino: Radiance Personified’

Let’s consider how long we’ve all been looking forward to Montalcino’s next great vintage. I’m thinking back to the release of the 2010s, walking the aisles of Benvenuto Brunello and tasting from table to table. Aromatically, the wines made your eyes roll back in your head, followed by an assault on the palate of intense and complex primary fruit, which was quickly clenched and held firm by aggressive tannins. When the reviews finally hit, it was like nothing I had ever seen before. Suddenly, every retailer in the country was pumping out email after email to feed the unquenchable thirst that consumers had for Montalcino’s next great vintage. 

However, after the dust settled, and 2011 arrived, people seemed to be satisfied. The 2011s were ripe and juicy, and consumers were happy to allow them to fill restaurant wine lists instead of their cellars. Next was 2012, just as warm as 2011, yet prettier and more balanced; but it still didn’t move the needle. Two thousand thirteen had some potential and quickened our pulses for a time, yet it wasn’t the next 2010. At this point, we all started to feel the hunger – when would Montalcino have its next great vintage? However, it was just around this time that the 2016 Rosso di Montalcinos began to arrive, giving us a peek into what producers were calling a perfect vintage. The wines were dark and effusive in how they excited the senses, full of energy yet also dense in their fruit profiles, and with structure that was unexpected from the Rosso category. Suddenly, there came a glimmer of hope; and since that time, we have all been waiting for 2016 Brunello di Montalcino.

But now the big question is: Do the 2016s live up to our expectations? Oh, yes; they certainly do.

Where in the World is Talenti?

Riccardo Talenti sources fruit from five vineyards spread out between higher elevations of Sant’Angelo in Colle and lower elevations of Castelnuovo dell’Abate.

1. Vigna Colombaio
2. Vigne delle Torre
3. Vigna Quercione
4. Vigna del Capanno
5. Vigna del Campone
6. Vigna di Piero
7. Bianchella
8. Fonte Lattaia Vecchia
9. Fonte Lattaia Nuova
10. Poggio Farnese Vecchia
11. Poggio Fernese Nuova