Volcanic Wine Awards | The Jancis Robinson Story

Brunello 2015 normale – tasting notes

Tuesday 11 February 2020
Montalcino in Feb 2020

Walter's tasting notes on well over 100 regular bottlings of the latest vintage of Brunello should be read in conjunction with his overview Brunello 2015 – too perfect? Tasting notes on the Selezione wines follow tomorrow.

Walter took this picture from Montalcino during the tasting he describes below. The 126 regular Brunello 2015s are listed in alphabetical order by producer (sur)name, but you can reorder them to suit.  

Brunello di Montalcino

Tasted blind. Mid ruby. Closed on the nose with sweet, stalky...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Sweet fruit nose that...

Apparently this comes from a vineyard planted at a density of 20...

Tasted blind. Lustrous mid ruby. Holding back on the nose but...

Tasted blind. Mid to deep ruby with orange tinges. Quite stalky...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Perfumed, multi...

Tasted blind. Mid to deep ruby. Rich nose with hints of apple...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Concentrated, ripe...

Fermented in stainless steel, 24 days on the skins.
Mid to deep...

Tasted blind. Deep ruby. Intense, concentrated, aromatic red...

Tasted blind. Deep ruby. Dense, brooding, sweet and concentrated...

Tasted blind. Concentrated ruby with orange tinges. Closed nose...

Tasted blind. Concentrated ruby. Herbal hints hovering over ripe...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby. Subdued yet perfumed on the nose with a...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Savoury nose with a...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby. Subdued and slightly grubby/reductive...

San Felice’s outfit in Montalcino.
Tasted blind. Lustrous mid...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with bright orange tinges. Quite sweet...

Tasted blind. Lustrous mid ruby. Brooding yet quite closed on...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby. Savoury and minerally nose with a...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby. Perfumed, lifted and concentrated. A...

Tasted blind. Just mid ruby. Subdued, minerally fruit nose. Soft...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby. Perfumed and ripe fruit with touches of...

Tasted blind. Mid to deep ruby. Sweet oak perfumes hovering over...

Tasted blind. Just mid ruby. Lifted, and a little ethereal with...

Tasted blind. Lustrous mid ruby. Firm cherry nose with sweet...

Tasted blind. Lustrous mid ruby. Lifted, sour-cherry nose with a...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges and already looking a...

Tasted blind. Youthful deep ruby: could herald lots of oak...

Tasted blind. Concentrated mid ruby. Deep cherry fruit nose...

Tasted blind. Mid to deep ruby with orange tinges. Balsamic...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Leafy cherry fruit...

Tasted blind. Mid to deep ruby with bright orange tinges. Firm...

Dark, impenetrable ruby. Impressive richness on the nose...

Tasted blind. Lustrous ruby. Cherry fruit of great depth...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges, already showing...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Sweet and a little...

Tasted blind. Lustrous mid ruby. Quite closed and a little...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Balsamic savoury nose...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Balsamic and...

Tasted blind. Just mid ruby. Perfumed sour-cherry nose, with...

Tasted blind. Concentrated ruby with bright orange tinges. Sweet...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Soft, gentle cherry...

Tasted blind. Lustrous mid ruby. Contained richness on the nose...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby. Lifted cassis (!) and cherry nose...

Tasted blind. Mid to deep ruby. A little reductive/stalky with...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby. Hints of pine and a little brooding...

Tasted blind. Deep ruby. Balsamic nose that takes its time to...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby. Alluring nose of ripe sour-cherry fruit...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Lots of depth on the...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. A slightly broad...

Tasted blind. Concentrated ruby. Sweetly concentrated, a little...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby. Compact nose that is yet to open up...

Tasted blind. Almost impenetrable ruby. Impressively...

Tasted blind. Concentrated ruby with orange tinges. Stalky and...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Leafy cherry with...

Tasted blind. Concentrated ruby with bright orange tinges. Sweet...

Tasted blind. Just mid ruby with a broad, watery rim. Lifted yet...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Balsamic, sweet...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby. A little savoury and reductive at first...

Tasted blind. Lustrous mid ruby. Shy, nutty oak notes over...

Tasted blind. Lustrous mid ruby. Lots going on: pure sour cherry...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Deep fruit nose with...

Tasted blind. Mid to deep ruby. Savoury rather than fruity...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Balsamic and a little...

Tasted blind. Concentrated mid ruby. Firm cherry nose. Richness...

Tasted blind. Quite deep ruby with narrow orange rim. Immediate...

Tasted blind. Deep and almost impenetrable ruby. Quite grubby on...

Tasted blind. Just mid ruby. A little stalky and closed on the...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Ripe, lifted and...

Tasted blind. Concentrated ruby. Subdued yet minerally. On the...

Tasted blind. Just mid ruby. Sweetly perfumed strawberry and...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby. Balsamic sweet nose with a hint of pine...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges and already showing...

Tasted blind. Concentrated, complex nose of sweet cherry fruit...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby. A little stalky and grubby at first and...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with watery orange-tinged rim. Balsamic...

Tasted blind. Lustrous mid ruby. Lifted, aromatic cherry and...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby. A little stalky at first and then rich...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby. A little brooding and concentrated. Cool...

Tasted blind. Mid to deep ruby. Compact yet aromatic fruit nose...

Tasted blind. Just mid ruby with orange tinges. Savoury more...

Tasted blind. Just mid ruby. Balsamic nose with a hint of garden...

Tasted blind. Deep ruby. A little savoury on the nose but not...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby. Concentrated, crushed, sweet berry-fruit...

Tasted blind. Just mid ruby. Soft, herbal marasca cherry nose...

Tasted blind. Concentrated ruby with orange tinges. Savoury and...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Perfumed sweet red...

Tasted blind. Mid to deep ruby. A tight nose of dark fruit with...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Dark, brooding and...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby. Ethereal red fruit with bags of stalky...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. A striking, perfumed...

Tasted blind. Concentrated ruby with orange tinges. Sweet, dark...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Balsamic nose with...

Tasted blind. Lustrous mid ruby. Lots of concentrated, sweet...

Tasted blind. Just mid ruby with orange tinges. Sweet and...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Leafy cherry fruit...

Tasted blind. Just mid ruby with orange tinges. Savoury...

Tasted blind. Concentrated ruby. The concentrated nose conveys a...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with some development on the rim. Soft...

Tasted blind. Lustrous mid ruby. Concentrated nose, but holding...

Tasted blind. Mid to deep ruby. A nose that is still a little...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. A touch earthy and...

Tasted blind. Mid to deep ruby. Stalky/reductive but suggesting...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby. Cherry and herb liqueur. Concentrated...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. At first a little...

Tasted blind. Mid to deep ruby. Red and very ripe, dark-fruit...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. A tiny bit stalky and...

Tasted blind. Deep ruby with bright orange tinges. Lots of...

Tasted blind. Just mid ruby. Minerally and complex nose that is...

Tasted blind. Just mid ruby. Gorgeous, perfumed red-fruit nose...

Tasted blind. Lustrous mid ruby. Brooding, concentrated and...

A little bit closed and right now more herbal than fruity...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby. Attractive cherry fruit with hints of...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Lifted cherry fruit...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Perfumed and a little...

Tasted blind. Lustrous mid ruby. Alluring ripe dark fruit on the...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby. A little stalky/reductive on the nose...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with bright orange tinges. Minerally...

Tasted blind. Mid to deep ruby with orange tinges. Concentrated...

Tasted blind. Just mid ruby. A little stalky/reductive with...

Tasted blind. Mid to deep ruby. Brooding cherry fruit on the...

Tasted blind. Just mid ruby with orange tinges. Savoury nose...

Tasted blind. Deep ruby. A concentrated, sweet-savoury nose...

Tasted blind. Youthful, concentrated ruby. Concentrated fruit...

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Quite balsamic and...

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