2018 Brunello | Pre-Shipment Offer

VINTAGE REPORT

‘2018 marks a return to classicism for Brunello.’ Roberto Fuligni, January 2023

After the stifling heat spikes and droughts that plagued the 2017 season in Montalcino – 2018 arrived with a refreshingly different feel. In fact, in a long run of warmer years that have followed from the rich 2015 – right up until the toasty 2022 harvest, it is only in 2018 where winemakers have had any real respite. 2018 was a year with fewer extremes and the wines stand out as more classically shaped and refined as a result.

However, having tasted over 100 different 2018s, we have not yet been able to draw one clear picture of the vintage here. For all the delight that it was not as hot as previous years – the cooler weather was not always ideal either - and so it is a great year for revealing the real quality of both winemakers and terroirs.

We could not be happier with the great successes our stable of long-standing partners have achieved in 2018. Padelettti and Fuligni in the north-eastern sector of Montalcino, both released gorgeously elegant and deeply refined wines. Perfumed but not lightweight – these are charming, classical wines that will thrill and delight. Whereas, in the southern sector, Giodo and Collemattoni had slightly warmer weather, allowing the fruit to ripen sooner. The results here have a softer appeal, with a shade more weight at the heart of these wines. Both are instantly enchanting and very approachable.

2018’s average daily temperatures remained 5 degrees lower than in 2017 throughout the season – and there was enough water early on to give the vines a vigorous and healthy start. In fact, the cool and damp spring was just what the vineyards needed after the scorchingly dry summer before. Yet sunshine is also required – and so it was with relief that things warmed up nicely in July. The vines thrived and yet it never overshot, it seemed as if we were steadily on track for perfection…

August though did not completely follow the plan – with temperatures cooling and almost daily showers in some spots making life difficult. Indeed, it was this humidity that became the most serious challenge. Skill, attentiveness and diligence amongst the vines were, consequently, the keys to success. A constant watch was needed to combat the risks of mildew and rot. Canny producers thinned out both leaves and bunches to ensure that drying wind and warming sunlight got to the grapes to allow full phenolic ripeness.

The final complication for winemakers is always when to pick: the hunt for that fine line between perfect maturity of the grapes and the risk of Autumnal weather striking was nerve-wracking in 2018, and only made more critical with a couple of rainstorms that passed through. Our growers walked this viticultural tightrope with deft aplomb. Giodo and Collemattoni in the warmer south opting to pick sooner, before the rain - while both Padeletti and Fuligni boldly held out for more hangtime and waited until the end September, once the rain had passed. This allowed for wines with two more weeks of weight and complexity gained from gentle ripening on the vine. A decision that has proved vital in helping balance the wonderful natural freshness of Sangiovese from this cooler sector in 2018.

Ultimately, 2018 was certainly not without its challenges in Montalcino, but it is a year where talented winemakers have made some superb wines. It is a year that gives us a scintillating reminder of the classic lines of fine Brunello - with grace, elegance and perfume – rather than power, weight and hefty intensity. Our four producers here have each allowed this sophisticated character to shine through. These are wines that have great approachability and a charm it is already hard to resist. However, do not confuse the lightness of touch or fine poise for simplicity!

We’re also excited about these wines’ potential for the mid-term future too. Critics are in agreement that the wines from Giodo, Padeletti and Fuligni will continue to evolve well for the next 10 to 15 years. Ignore these releases at your peril as they’ll delight when pulled from the cellar in as little as 5 years’ time, if you cannot hang on.

If you have any questions about the wines or would like to place an order, please email your account manager or privateclients@leaandsandeman.co.uk.

CHOICE REVIEWS

Eric Guido – Vinous.com

‘At the top level, many of the 2018 Brunellos come across as quite Burgundian in nature, where a combination of vividly dark, ripe fruit, balanced acidity and refined tannins add a brilliant dimension that shines already today yet promises a steady and prosperous evolution over time.’



Michaela Morris – Decanter

‘While 2018 proposes a few fantastic wines to tuck away, it is not a vintage to seek out for long ageing. Most wines will be accessible immediately and be at their best within the next 10 to 12 years.’


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Collemattoni

Collemattoni

This is a tiny seven hectare estate in San Angelo in Colle, on the southern side of the hill of Montalcino, nestling above the famous and rather larger Col d'Orcia vineyards (145 hectares). Marcello Bucci, who studied oenology under Signora Fuligni (Roberto Fuligni's aunt), is making wonderfully good wines which have rapidly increased both in quality and international recognition.

With his new winery now well and truly bedded in Marcello is thriving with the greater control and flexibility he now has - this is an estate going from strength to strength and the wines have a real true imprint of these beautiful rolling hills and Marcello's gentle manner. The wines from these vineyards are fuller and riper perhaps, than Fuligni or Padelletti. However, where there may be less lacy finesse, they more than compensate with indulgent joy, not to mention with their pricing. Collemattoni make some of the best value wines of the region.

2019 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO Collemattoni

2019 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO Collemattoni

The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino is rich with a dark blend of crushed strawberries and plums complemented by minty herbs and camphor. This displays soft textures and a core of ripe wild berry fruitsThe 2019 Brunello di Montalcino is rich with a dark blend of crushed strawberries and plums complemented by minty herbs and camphor. This displays soft textures and a core of ripe wild berry fruits guided by brisk acidity. A web of fine-grained tannins saturates toward the close. The 2019 tapers off structured and long, leaving a dusty sensation. However, it's still fresh, as bitter hints of black tea and an air of sage resonate. This will take time to come fully into focus. Drinking range: 2026 - 2034 Rating: 92 Eric Guido, www.vinous.com (Mar 2024)

75cl bottles, case of 6

In Bond

Fuligni

Our relationship with Roberto goes back to the mid-nineties. We have always loved the wines here, which combine the concentration and elegance of the best of Brunello. They can be drunk more or less from release, and are so perfectly balanced that they age beautifully.

Year after year Roberto and his team hit the highest heights of what is possible here. Truly classic Brunello is what they do best So fine, so poised with great tension and yet depth of fruit too - these are wines that make you think, stop you in your tracks and stun you in a way that very few producers can manage, The two current releases are nothing short of mesmerising.

Fuligni’s vineyards are some of the highest and coolest in the area, perched on the slopes to the east of Montalcino and this gives them enormous advantage, ensuring a finesse and elegance that others struggle to imitate.

Padelletti

The Padellettis are one of Montalcino's oldest families, and one with an illustrious past, stretching back into the 13th century at least. In 1529, Giovanni Padelletti, an architect, was given charge of a section of wall and two gates for the defence of the city against the Spanish invaders, and his descendants still own them. Under the Medicis they had to lie low, but by 1576 they are again listed as owning land and vineyards.

From this six hectares they select less than a quarter of the grapes for Brunello, so this is a charmingly small production of the utmost quality. Traditional practices are respected with the winemaking, where the wine is fermented in cement tanks and aged in large Slavonian oak casks in their original cellars in central Montalcino, on Via Guido e Dino Padelletti, right under the family's historic house.



‘Padelletti holds the traditional line in the extreme northeast of Montalcino. Their properties are some of the highest-elevation vineyards in the area (between 400-430 meters) and are insulated by surrounding forests. The wines are always pure representations of vintage and place, communicating a throw-back style without ever coming across as rustic.’

Eric Guido – Vinous.com

Podere Giodo di Carlo Ferrini

'Eleganza, Eleganza, Eleganza' is the mantra of the enigmatic Carlo Ferrini who has once again crafted a beautifully focused, sleek Brunello from his own immaculate, small estate of just 5.5 Hectares in Montalcino. Giodo is named in honour of his parents 'Giovanna and Donatello'. Since the first vintage in 2009, this estate has fast become something of a cult classic, immediately right there - in amongst the established top Montalcino producers.

With limited production and incredible provenance, it is no surprise that these wines are in huge demand and heavily oversubscribed.