“A benchmark vintage. Readers will not want to miss these fabulous wines.”
- Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate, May 2011
I don't have many regrets in life. But in autumn 2007 I bought myself my first - but one of our last - 2001 Lisini. When I came to drink it, I realised I needed more. But it had sold out. I'm not making that mistake again: the 2006 Lisini Brunello di Montalcino is already sitting pretty in my Uncorked reserves. You can't be too careful, you know.
There's probably never been a better time to buy Brunello di Montalcino. Although it can trace its history back more than a century, the current releases are dated only four decades after this varied and complex place became a DOC. Many of the finest producers are small, relatively young estates which have made rapid progress in recent years. Following the damage done by the 2003 blending scandal, in which a few less scrupulous producers were accused of bolstering their weaker offerings with the addition of foreign varieties, demand has been subdued, and pricing pressures non-existent. So despite the fact that 2006 looks set to be a new benchmark, one of today's offerings is actually cheaper than was its 2004 counterpart when we offered it two years ago. Like Galloni says, don't miss these! /AR
'No previous vintage has yielded as many outstanding examples of Brunello as 2006 has. The Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino rates the vintage 5 stars out of 5, and I concur. (Long-time readers will recall that I rated the 2004 vintage 4 stars and 2001 4½ stars.) The best 2006s are exciting, perfumed wines with energy and character. They should age splendidly over the next decade or two, and the best wines will be even longer-lived.' - Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug 2011
Offered subject to confirmation for shipment winter 2011/12
