Drinks of the Month

Berry Bros & Rudd Brunello di Montalcino 2009

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on September 20 2015 at 09:50

Brunello di Montalcino is normally way out of my price bracket but this own label bottling from Berry Bros & Rudd is such good value, it’s hard to resist.

It was selected by the company’s Italophile wine buyer David Berry-Green and comes from the Mantengoli family’s La Serena estate in Tuscany which is organically cultivated.

It comes from 2009 which was a hot vintage which has produced a powerful full-bodied wine of 15%, an ABV with which I don’t normally feel comfortable but it’s so beautifully balanced you don’t feel the heat. Apparently the estate didn’t make a riserva wine in 2009 which gives this wine the benefit of the estate's best fruit. It would obviously be excellent with red meat, especially lamb, but is graceful enough to go with game*. It's drinking perfectly now but you could keep it for several more years.

The individual bottle price is £26.95 - but if you can run to a case of six that currently brings the cost down to £21.36 a bottle. The next cheapest Brunello on the BBR list is £37.50 and most are a great deal more which underlines what a bargain this is.

*For more Brunello pairings see here.

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