A Monument to Traditional Brunello
2010 Cerbaiona Brunello di Montalcino
"Cerbaiona's 2010 Brunello di Montalcino will leave readers weak at the knees. It is every bit that profound."
- Anthony Galloni, Vinous Media
When it comes to the 2010 Cerbaiona, Galloni’s praise isn’t the least bit hyperbolic. This is absolutely Montalcino at its finest.
Galloni places the 2010 Cerbaiona at the pinnacle of wine anywhere for good reason.
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Cerbaiona makes a mere 650 case of Brunello per vintage. We've been working for the past couple of months to secure enough for an offering. In the meantime, the wine has blown up; this will be a one-shot deal.
In this monumental vintage, the Cerbaiona showcases an undeniable raciness and magnificent depth. Perfumed aromatics, balance and finesse are at the forefront, giving way to a luxurious and textural finish. This is authentic, honest Brunello at the highest level of winemaking.
There's an enormous amount of heat on 2010 Brunello vintage. From our tastings, it's very clear that 2010 will be considered a very important vintage for the region. The wines are that pristine, complex and harmonious.
With all that said, we've taken a metered approach to the vintage, only focusing on producers that we love each year. Brunello has gone through something of an identity crisis, pushing extraction and power to extreme levels. For our palates, this robbed Brunello of much of what had historically made it so special and placed it with Barolo as one of Italy's most noble and ageworthy wines.
Cerbaiona has always served as an inspiration for what Brunello can and should be. The Molinari family of Cerbaiona is part of a handful of surviving traditionalists in Montalcino who follow the kind of old school practices that produce stirringly soulful wines.
The wines don't breathe muscular power. Rather, they possess the type of nuanced elegance and explosively complex aromatics that thrill us. Galloni's note on the 2010 captures this well: "An utterly stunning, sensual wine, the 2010 constantly changes in the glass as it conquers all the senses with an exotic kaleidoscope of aromas, flavors and textures."
There's no doubt that the 2010 Cerbaiona will stand as a monument for what the estate and traditional Brunello can achieve for decades. It's simply a breathtaking expression of Brunello.
To order, reply to offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits
Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media: The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino is every bit as thrilling as it was on the many occasions I tasted it from barrel. Black cherry, hard candy, plum, rose petal, menthol and lavender saturate the palate in a sumptuous, racy Brunello endowed with magnificent depth and pedigree. An utterly stunning, sensual wine, the 2010 constantly changes in the glass as it conquers all the senses with an exotic kaleidoscope of aromas, flavors and textures. I remember tasting the 2010 from cask a few years ago when Diego Molinari was too unwell to go down to the cellar. Nora Molinari tasked me with essentially serving myself as we went from vintage to vintage and cask to cask. For days after, I was mortified that I might not have closed some of the spigots tightly enough. Fortunately, that was not the case. In all of my years tasting the wines of Montalcino, I have only come across two wines with this level of textural unctuosity and sweetness; Gianfranco Soldera's 1983 Brunello and 1990 Riserva. Cerbaiona's 2010 Brunello di Montalcino will leave readers weak at the knees. It is every bit that profound."