Why US barred the Tuscan King

Brunello di Montalcino wines, also known as the Tuscan King, got into controversy earlier this year on the grounds of quality and US blocked its shipments of the 2003 vintage. Subhash Arora found out more about this during his recent trip to Montalcino region in Italy.

Top three varietal red wines Italy can boast of are Barolo, Barbaresco and Brunello di Montalcino. While the first two are produced from the indigenous grape Nebbiolo, Brunello as the name suggests, is made from the grape known as Brunello, in Montalcino and is known as the king of Tuscan wines.

Montalcino is an obscure, medieval beautiful Tuscan town 40 kms South of Siena and 250 kms North of Rome. It is parched on a hill in the middle of a valley making it not only very picturesque but the slopes also helping to produce grapes of quality. Brunello is the local name (derived from Brunette) of Grosso, a clone of Sangiovese which grows in abundance in Tuscany.

The 'Top 12' list includes only one Italian wine- Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 1955 Biondi Santi.

'A great wine is long-lived: it must improve at least in the first 20 years and give different sensation as each year passes. It is the only product that has a life span of more than a man's, says Gianfranco Soldera, the proud owner of Case Basse di Gianfranco Soldera, a renowned quality Brunello producer..

One of the biggest qualities of Brunellos is their aging potential and the complexity and finesse that can develop in the well crafted wine. Most producers recommend a Brunello bottle to be opened after 7-10 years and estimate the life from 20-30 years.

It is a serious wine with complex aromas, silky tannins, full structure, balanced acidity, lasting fruitiness coupled with minerality that comes from the special soil of vineyards at 250-500 meters heights. It has an exceptionally long after taste and has a long ageing potential. The wines are generally higher in acidity which makes them age-worthy.

Although primarily a food wine that would go perfectly well with red meats, game and possibly chicken made in red wine sauces, when it is ready to drink, the tannins are silky and mellow enough to make it a meditation wine-to drink after dinner over a long and serene period of chatting or simply watching the world go by. They could be a delightful company to vegetarians too.

Gianfranco Soldera, Piero Palmucci, Angelo Gaja and Giulio Gambelli, are a few of the names to remember for Brunello, the first three being the producers of excellent wines and the last being a well know consultant in the region.

Besides Antinori, Frescobaldi and Gaja, some of the other wineries represented in India are Col d'Orcia, La Poderina, Banfi, and Casanova di Neri. Capanna, Coldisole, Biondi Santi, Barbi, Tenute Silvio Nardi, Castelli Martinozzi, Tenuta Friggiali, Donna Olga, Poggio de Sotto, Caparzo, Cantina di Montalcino and Fuligni are some of the wineries a group of Indian journalists and importers visited recently during a trip to Montalcino. A few of these or other wineries out of a total of about 210 producers are like to show up in the list of Italian wines in India soon.

Taste of a Century

A vertical tasting of the century was organized for Brunello di Montalcino from Biondi Santi on September 28, 1994, including a 100 years of Riserva, with 15 precious vintages, from 1988 to the 1888 and included 1925, 1945,1955,1964.

Three generations of Brunello: from the 'Father of Brunello' Ferruccio Biondi Santi who created the Brunello wine in 1888, to his son TancrediBiondi Santi who improved the production to perfection; he was also one of the architects in the development of Standards for the Appellation when it was formed in 1967, and Franco Biondi Santi, the grandson who is maintaining oenological tradition of the family and with whom our group had the pleasure of tasting his wines.

Sixteen important journalists from all over the world were invited back then and the event had a wide resonance. Nicholas Belfrage writing for the Decanter observed that the 1891 Reserve, a wine older than 103 years, was still oenologically perfect. He gave it a rating of 10/10(Price-$25,000 a bottle) Although 1888 was still drinkable, it managed 8/10, still remarkable for its age.

It is widely accepted that Italian migrants all over the world try to emulate the best from their country. Brunello di Montalcino has such a fan following in the US- 25% of its wine is exported there that at least three California wineries have started using the Brunello name for their wines. The Consorzio del Brunello di Montalcino, has asked them to stop using the name and is filing a case against them for fraudulent use of the label.

Petroni Vineyards in Sonoma is one such producer. However, the proprietor Lorenzo Petroni argues that his wine indicates it is from Sonoma, and that Brunello refers to the type of grape in the wine, and not the place of origin.

While U.S. regulations do not prohibit the use of the term Brunello for United States, EU recognises only Brunello di Montalcino as an appellation and the Consorzio religiously guards its territorial rights.

Unfortunately, King Brunello got into a controversy earlier this year and US blocked its shipments of the 2003 vintage a few months ago on the grounds that the wine contained some other grape varieties as well. More than four Montalcino wineries including Antinori and the American owned Banfi were implicated in the probe.

According to the strict rules of the appellation, 100% Sangiovese from the designated and approved vineyards can only be used. The yield must be less than 8 tonnes a hectare from 25 year old vines and after a minimum aging of 2 years in oak casks, the bottling must take place within the production area.

During inspection last year it was discovered that 17 h/A of about 2000 h/A designated Brunello vineyards were growing grapes other than Sangiovese, including Cabernet and Merlot giving rise to the speculation that the exported wines had used small quantity of unauthorised grapes. The magistrate of Siena seized a million liter of wine pending investigations for fraud. Getting a wind of this the US authorities had blocked the imports and threatened to ban the import.

However, earlier last month an accord was reached between the two countries and the issue seems to have been amicably resolved. As a part of the agreement, the inspection certificates for all Brunello shipments to the USA will be issued by the Florence-based agency of the Agriculture Ministry that monitors food quality and the US will allow all the uncleared shipments.

Avoid 2002 as excessive rains made the crops too dilute and unfit for quality Brunello. In fact many of the better producers decided not to produce Brunello for this vintage. 2004 has been an outstanding vintage which will see many producers release Riserva in 2010. Other outstanding vintages to keep in mind are '06 and '07.

Talk to Franco Biondi Santi of Biondi Santi, Piero Palmucci of Poggio di Sotto or any other traditional producer of Brunello and he will shake his head in the negative. 'It is too delicate and elegant a wine to be exposed to the quick oxidation by pouring the bottle into the decanter,' says Patrizio Cencioni, President of the Consorzio, who also owns a small winery called Capanna.

Palmucci advises 'to open the bottle the evening before it has to be served. Drop off a small amount of wine till the wine level reaches the bottom of the neck and leave the bottle open till serving.' This would allow more oxygen to come in contact with the wine overnight.

Quality of Brunellos is matched only by their price which can be exorbitant, especially because of heavy import duties. Montalcino offers excellent and affordable substitute in the form of Rosso di Montalcino which is made from the same grape but under less strict conditions making it a younger drinking wine.

Moscadello di Montalcino offers a sweet white wine option. Sant'Antimo Rosso and Bianco offer alternatives with the authorised grapes from the region- all at prices that would not burn a hole in your pocket.

Next time you visit Rome or Florence (about 105 kms north), make it a point to visit this beautiful wine region and enjoy the world-class Brunello or even Rosso, Moscadello and Sant'Antimo.

The article appeared in the July issue of Ambrosia, India's top drinks and wine monthly magazine published in Mumbai- only a few minor alterations have been made to keep the chronological integrity-editor