Brunello 2018 according to canadian tasters
DAVID LAWRASON, JOHN SZABO MS, MICHAEL GODEL, SARA D’AMATO, MEGHA JANDHYALA, S.J.D. AND JANET DOROZYNSKI, DIPWSET, PHD, JASON SOLANKI TASTE BRUNELLO 2018
by Donatella Cinelli Colombini #winedestination
Wine Align is a rating agency like Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s. These evaluate the banks while Wine Align judges the wines.
Obviously the experts are highly competent and completely independent: David Lawrason, John Szabo MS, Michael Godel, Sara d’Amato, Megha Jandhyala, S.J.D. and Janet Dorozynski, DipWSET, PhD who are the new entries in the group joined by Jason Solanki. Next to the profile of each taster there are the numbers of wines passed or failed which, roughly speaking, are a third of the total. So sending your bottles to Wine Align is a risk because criticism is very frequent but, when the opinion is positive, it has a tonic effect on the Canadian market and specifically in Ontario where Wine Align is based.
In this case I propose the 5 tasting results published on my Brunello di Montalcino 2018. All the critics gave similar scores, three of them 94/100 and two 93/100. The descriptions, however, are different and denote a certain difficulty in framing an “old style” harvest played more on elegance than on power. A vintage which, in my opinion, will be very long-lived but which many find extremely satisfying even now.
Brunello 2018 WINE ALIGN
94/100 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2018 THE OPINION OF MEGHA JANDHYALA, S.J.D.
Megda grew up in India and has a background in academic studies in law. Among the Wine Align tasters, she is perhaps the most “multi-ethnic” in a nation traditionally open and capable of integrating different cultures. This is why her opinion is very interesting. Jandhyala is struck by the complexity of the wine <<every moment you spend with it reveals a new face and new delights>> and then <<in the mouth I feel it soft and elegant, with beautiful tannins, captivating acidity and an elegant and complex finish >>
94/100 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2018 MICHAEL GODEL’S REPORT
Godel knows Montalcino as well as he knows Toronto and for this reason the Brunello Consortium asked him to lead the annual seminar held in Canada. The vocation for long aging of Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s wine is the first thing that Michael Godel notices <<this Brunello needs a few more years to wake up>> so he places the emphasis on harmony <<every element plays well with the others: aromas and also the wood which appears well integrated>>
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2018 THE DESCRIPTION BY JOHN SZABO
94/100. John Szabo is Canada’s first Master Sommelier and enjoys an enormous reputation also for his pioneering work in valorising volcanic wines. Like Godel, he knows Montalcino very well and has participated in Benvenuto Brunello. His has a more pragmatic approach and begins by saying that Casato Prime Donne is in the northern area of Montalcino where the climate is cooler and the soils are predominantly clayey. The wine ferments in concrete vats and matures in French tonneaux. All correct. In the tasting he is very direct <<I would like to say that it drinks wonderfully now… it is close to the peak especially if you prefer to drink wines at the extreme of fruit maturity>> but in the end he admits that he would gladly drink this Brunello even in a few years’ time.
93/100 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2018 UNDER THE LENS OF: DAVID LAWRASON
Lawrason has a very careful approach to the market and always seeks objectivity. His analysis highlights the slimmer profile of this Brunello compared to previous vintages <<Grace and depth. This vintage is lighter than others but the aromas are at the right point and the harmony is impeccable…. It is easy to drink and it is not obligatory to age it even if it will certainly last for the next decade>>
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2018 ACCORDING TO JASON SOLANKI
93/100 <<loving, open and fragrant, it has a wonderful, intense aroma of red cherries, rose petals, roasted spices and attractive citrus hints>> Solanki also places the emphasis on structure and perfect harmony, on juicy pleasantness current and on the prospect of very pleasant evolution in the next 10 years
In conclusion, Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s Brunello 2018 passed with flying colours and is liked especially for its drinkability and pleasantness. There is no unanimous opinion on the ability to age because: if it is delicious now, why wait?