TN: A magnificent 2004 Brunello

maybe I am missing something but there is not much banter on the board about Brunello. I like one every now and again and buy a few from better vintages, but it seems to me that they fly under the radar a bit.

Last night we experienced an Antarctic blast, so I fired up the wood oven and cooked a delicious Osso Bucco. Great time to bust open a Brunello. I purchased the 2004 Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino soon after attending a dinner where we compared 10 Brunellos from the 2004 vintage and this was my favourite on that night a decade ago.
The cork was nigh on impossible to remove, so so tight, causing the Lagouile waiters friend to crack the glass. Eventually I prized the bothersome bark from its burrow. After congratulating myself on my Herculean strength :slight_smile: I poured a glass. Deeply tannic, tough, whoa…wait.
Half an hour later, having warmed from cellar temp (14C) to room temp it emerged. Still a dark satsuma plum with some bricking at the edges, aromatically it is all dark fruits with some subtle herbal and savoury notes. The palate is powerful, all dark and sooty, the tannins nicely resolved. I would say that it is to my palate just entering prime time, but will hold for a long time. With the simple, rustic Osso Bucco and the hail lashing the window panes, it was a Brunello to remember.

Sounds like a great night!

brunello is definitely one of my favorites. I agree not as much chatter as you’d maybe expect, but theres a good amount every now and again

Hail, Osso Bucco, & BdM FTW!

I believe that FTW has two meanings… both quite apt in this situation.

Matt, how do you rate the 2004 vintage for Brunello?

Not Matt,

But I really like the '04 vintage in both Brunello and Barolo. The former, I think, are just starting to come around now, and are indeed magnificent, as you describe, Kent. My most recent was an Il Poggione, which really sang after a little hour, unlike a showing a few years back. (Btw, have not had a Barolo from '04 that I have not enjoyed–great balance, classic, not the wildness of the '01, which some day may be great, but at least mine are not now.)

Great story Kent, thanks for posting…

The 2006 Fuligni is also a great Brunello. I didn’t find the 06 as dark and deep as your description of the 04, to me it was more feminine and delicate, but still with great fruit and mouthfeel. It could be a vintage thing…either way, Fuligni makes some great Brunello!

That is a great note. I have just recently started enjoying Brunello and have been buying a few to taste now and a few to hold. I have a 2013 Fuligini I want to try now, but I know it is way too young.

Never heard of a cork being so tight the glass cracks. Must have been under some serious pressure.

Dave, was quite a hard cork, but ridiculously difficult to remove. I don’t know how many newtons of force were required but I was on the limit…there was a real risk that the neck of the bottle would shatter.

Kent, I drink & enjoy BdM from time to time and often find it’s also under the radar. One good thing about that is that I can buy 2001’s off the shelf in stores that have a great cellar selection for under $100.

I opened one for a friend two nights ago in Bordeaux, it was absolutely singing at the one hour mark…and I bought three more the next morning

Luckily I have three, but you make me want to add to that.

Fuligni is a wonderful traditionalist producer. I think Brunello has yet to recover from Brunellogate and a more general identity crisis, but there are plenty of great producers making terrific wine at reasonable prices right now, and it’s never been better IMHO. International collectors still shy away from it unfortunately.

I bet you will hear a lot more chatter once the 2010’s mature and be ready. It will however take some time though. In the meanwhile 01, 04 drinking nicely and 06 and 07 are coming around.

Based on recent bottles, the '99 vintage is also drinking great right now. I have high hopes for both '06 and '10.

In terms of “lesser vintages”, I’ve got a 2008 Pian 'dell Orino on tap for dinner tonight.

I recently also discovered how well the 2004 Fuligni was drinking. As a result, I’ve drank through 8 of my 10 bottles just in the past 3-4 months. I’ve actually been surprised by how advanced the wine is at this stage…nothing problematic (as the wine is delicious and expressive), just a bit more bricking and more advanced than I would have expected. By comparison, the 2006 is still quite primary (and extremely promising). I’m wondering if the 2004 was perhaps a bit riper to begin with (although neither 2004 nor 2006 was known as an excessively warm vintage).

I also have a few bottles of the 2004 Fuligni Reserva, but haven’t tried one in about 4-5 years…I hope it’s developing just as well!

One of the posts above refers to Fuligni as a “traditional” producer, but in my view this wine has always been more on the modernist side of things (although not extremely so). Unlike Barolo (where I really don’t like to taste any oak), I actually prefer Brunello in the middle (to slightly modern) style. I certainly want Sangiovese character, but I like the wines with a bit denser fruit and some spice from Slavonian oak, which I think works great with the tart cherry fruit of Sangiovese. For reference Uccelliera is another Brunello I love, similar to Fuligni, but probably even MORE on the modern side (and probably pushing the edge in that regard–where any more density or darkness would begin to impinge on the Sangio character).

Slavonian oak is on the more neutral side I believe, less added spice flavor than either French or Hungarian, though I believe Fuligni still ages a small percentage in French oak Tonneaux. I like Fuligni for it’s more medium bodied style.

Kent,
Excellent vintage and producer. Glad to hear your bottle was showing well. I think 2004 is right up there with 2006 and just behind 2010 for Brunelli produced in the last 17 years. I enjoyed a bottle of 2004 La Serena, an Uccelliera, as well as an Il Castellare within the last year and all were really in a good spot. I don’t have many '04’s left, but I would recommend drinking now for most producers from the vintage- which doesn’t mean to drink-up now, just feel comfortable opening and enjoying now.

Also, you may want to explore some 2015 Rossos as I have found many to be delicious. Not as complex as Brunello of course, but very good and very promising for the 2015 Brunello vintage.