For most of the people who stumble across this blog, the reference in today’s title may be lost. However if you were a young lass like me in the ’90s, you’d be well aware of this ol’ chestnut and the theme song’s tag line, “Say hello to your friends“. It also inspired this:
Photograph from the 1995 film ‘Baby-Sitters Club’
What is with my infatuation with Brunello di Montalcino of late?
Well there is an event that I am organising with Grossi restaurant’s wine buyer, Mark Protheroe, under the Sommeliers Australia umbrella. We have organised a grand total of twenty-one wines, some of which have come directly from the Brunello Consorzio and are thus unavailable in the country. They all hail from the 2007 vintage and will be available at this one tasting.
The event seemed to fit in so nicely following on from last week when I was harping on about Kings and the Greats. Today, Brunello di Montalcino, backed by legends of longevity and high prices, has risen to challenge Barolo as the king of Italian red wines.
The whole idea behind the event eventuated with Mark P and discussing the evolution and growth in Brunello producers across the Montalcino area. This has recently brought debate to the necessity of defining sub-regions, with great variances in sites from the north to the south as the landscape undulates and the soil composition gradually changes.
This event is aimed at being a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore the sub-regions of the DOCG Montalcino area with the latest vintage release. Excuse the dramatisation, but it’s goddamn true. I have even roped in some of Victoria’s leading Brunello-philes to pour the wines and answer any questions, including Mark Protheroe (Grossi), Mark Walpole (Greenstone), Matt Paul (Trembath & Taylor) and Dan Sims (The Wine Guide).
This will be a stand-up event – not unlike a trade tasting – that is meant to allow for casual discussion amongst attendees. At 4pm Mark Protheroe will host a visual presentation to highlight the unique landscape and sub-regional aspects of the Montalcino area. He’s pretty excited about this part, so I am sure it will be entertaining.
With retail prices that easily peak over $100 a bottle, Brunello is a bold Tuscan expression of the Sangiovese Grosso grape. Some may question whether Brunello still deserves its spot at the head of the Italian wine table. We strongly believe it does. In fact, we’re 98 points on that (nice one, James Suckling).
Brunello di Montalcino exploration
When: Tuesday, September 25, 2012, 3pm – 6pm
Where: Restaurant @ William Angliss Institute
555 La Trobe St, Melbourne
TO BOOK YOUR PLACE PLEASE CLICK HERE
Producers on show
Altesino
Argiano
Casanova di Neri
Castelgiacondo
Costanti
Donatella Cinelli Colombini
Fanti
Fuligni
Il Palazzone
Il Paradiso di Manfredi
La Fornace
Mastrojanni
Pieve di Santa Restituta (Gaja)
Poggio Antico
Poggio di Sotto
Querce Bettina
San Carlo
San Felice
Valdicava
Villa I Cipressi
Villa Le Prata
La Donna del Vino 
Awesome!!! Can I have the leftovers ? :0)
You come along and try some with me? 🙂
Bon giorno La Donna.
I have now around a hundred bottles beginning with “B” in my cellar. Most of them are Barollos, but recently I have been stocking up with Brunello. And I love them.
I have a few Poggio de Sotto 2005, some di Manfredi, Banfi and Neri from 2004 to 2007. Would you recommend any particular vintage?
I envy you your tasting the 25th of September, but unfortunatly I’m at work and I can also buy a lot of Brunellos for the cost of a return ticket “Down under” and Top of the world here in Norway.
Enjoy your Brunellos on Tuesday
Buongiorno Breiflabben,
More bottles starting with ‘B’ in the cellar can never be a bad thing.
Lucky you having Poggio di Sotto in the cellar. The 2007 was looking truly remarkable and elegant yesterday. I will write about them on Tuesday.
I’ve had some wonderful 2004’s of late with Mastrojanni especially. The 2007’s are great to stock up on, but from what I’ve heard from importer friends who’ve been over there recently, is to wait a couple of years and put all your money on the 2010 Brunelli. Time will tell 😉
Enjoy your tasting to-day. I’ll have a toast to my father later this evening opening a super Toscan. He would have been 89 to-day.
Enjoy your sips 🙂
Thank you 🙂
What did you toast your father with?
I had a choice given to me actually, I was given a bottle of Tignanello 2007 and a Mastrojanni 2007 from a very good friend of mine just after I wrote the comment here. And you mentioning the Mastrojanni, I went for that. Beautiful, rich and smooth but still “young”. I’ll get some more of that.
Enjoy your spring, winter is getting closer here.