Cerbaia Brunello di Montalcino 2018
- 95
- Drink by: 2024-2032
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This thrilling Brunello producer has been making wine since the 1982 vintage, but is only coming to prominence today. It is a winery that is going to make a serious splash in the coming years. In the end, the choice for these wines is likely to come down to personal preference because all recent offerings are a little bit special. 2018 is a vintage that has copped a few backhanders from certain critics, who, I would argue, miss the point. This is a vintage that offers elegance and finesse. If you prefer blockbuster Shiraz to refined Pinot Noir, the 2018s may not resonate with you. Personally, I find them entrancing. This is a gleaming deep red with a nose offering florals, cigar box notes, cherries, and a hint of tomato bush. Wonderful elegance here, exquisitely fresh and with balance. There are abundant tannins, but they are ultra-fine and carried with serious length. This is a lovely example of Brunello at its most elegant and will drink beautifully for the next six to eight years.
Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.
