2013 Ugolaia: a great vintage for a distinguished Brunello
Montalcino is a complex patchwork of hills and valleys. Soils and microclimates diverge across the region, bringing distinct local character to the wines. Down in the southern sector, by Sant'Angelo in Colle where Lisini is based, the mixed soils (overlapping layers of clay, limestone and iron-rich soils) are said to explain the particularly savoury, mineral character in the local wines. Yet as Ludovica Lisini (pictured with her son Giulio) was at pains to point out when she visited us last Wednesday, their very best site is a bit different. The Ugolaia vineyard is at the southern end of their property, on the hottest, driest patch of land. The earth is so iron-rich here that the ground is red. The family believe that Ugolaia is the source of their very finest, most intense and long-lived wine.
The Lisinis are true Montalcino aristocracy; their family tree runs straight back to the Clementi family, who settled here after fighting alongside the Medicis. They are proud to say they are the last of the area's founding families still making wine here. Ludovica's aunt was one of the founders of the Brunello consorzio. And as befits such a storied family, their winemaking has always followed a very traditional model. Ludovica laughs that a decade ago people looked down on them for not swapping the Slavonian botti in their cellar for French barriques; now that the traditional botti are fashionable once again, people applaud.
Ludovica regards 2013 as the most blessed, balanced Brunello vintage of recent years, the year when everything happened exactly when it should. Tasting the 2013 Ugolaia, it is hard to disagree. The strawberry and black tea bouquet is very Brunello, but there's also fennel, plum, bergamot, chocolate, and tobacco. The texture is beautifully refined, with a fresh mouthfeel, a touch of sweetness and fine tannins all leading to a surprisingly powerful, lingering finish. This is classical and distinguished Brunello. /NT
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