Velona, Brunello di Montalcino

It has past its peak. Very flat. Previous bottles drank a few years ago were good.

2007 vintage

Allowed to breathe in glass 1 hour. Clear dark garnet red color. Lovely notes of cherries, figs, leather, stony red soil, hints of balsamic and prunes. Full body, plush, seamless, balanced, pleasantly tart and tannic.

2001 vintage

What a pleasant surprise. When I pulled the cork it was barely saturated, maybe 1/8" of a very long cork. I let it slow ox all day and then we took it to a restaurant where it was poured into some very small glasses. Right away you could see how dark, inpentrabale color was. The nose was a subtile bouquet black cherries, strawberries, raspberries, a bit of smoke and tar. The wine was in total balance and just danced across …

2001 vintage

Amazing on the nose when opened the btl but this is 1 or 2 years past its prime. Anyone is holding this, should seriously consider consuming before it looses further its character......

2007 vintage

Classic vintage BdM: black cherries, pencil lead, porcini mushroom, leather, violets, Parma ham. Very smooth and integrated. Well into its ideal drinking window now, but should last another 5 years. Delicious. (1/12)

2001 vintage

This was ok but took longer to open up than I anticipated. Consumed at dinner out. Followed by a Talenti 2006 which was far better and deeper from the first sip, though I anticipated a lengthy period of air before it would drink well. The Velona was ok but not as deep or interesting as I hoped.

2007 vintage

Unfortunately this has passed its prime. Slightly oxidized. Disappointed but probably did not store it well enough.

2007 vintage

PnP before dinner and poured a small sample. Darker red fruit, some wood. On the nose after about 30 minutes there is red fruit and tobacco. On the palate red fruit, tobacco, some heat and finishing with a mouth-drying finish. Medium body, medium+ acidity, medium+ to high- tannin. Better and more complex flavors with dinner of sausage, greens and tomatoes with a mushroom risotto.

2007 vintage

Better on 2nd night. Needs time to blow off funky nose

2007 vintage

Fairly light in color and flavor intensity. Still a wine full of enjoyment with a good meal.

2007 vintage

07 was an excellt year, and you can feel that in this Brunello. Very approchable now already, but could age definitely a couple years more.

2007 vintage

I am new to Brunello. Light in color. Noticed chocolate and cherry on the nose. Needed 30 minutes to open up. Light on the palette as well, especially in comparison with the 2010 Tiganello we also drank.

2007 vintage

Very smooth and mellow. A very gentle Brunello for this vintage.

2007 vintage

Amazing fruit and so smooth. Such a perfect wine and I paired with pizza.

2007 vintage

Earth and leather. Earth and leather. It was even a little funky, but still had big, round, smooth fruit that filled the middle and end. A lot of Brunello are great, but difficult to identify. This one had a unique signature.

2007 vintage

Maridaje ideal con risotto al porcini. Color rojo obscuro, con bordes ligeramente naranjas; brillante. Al servirlo inmediatamente despide un delicioso aroma. Frambuesa pero con toques minerales. Al agitarlo, surjen diversos aromas, vino complejo. En boca es largo y aterciopelado; con bastante cuerpo a pesar de su edad. Redondo. Excelente.

2001 vintage

Already showing considerable bricking. With several hours of slo-ox, it shows a cherries, earth, leather and a gamey character on the nose. On the taste, it's lighter bodied than expected -- showing older than it is. But nice dark cherries, with leather and chocolate notes. Very enjoyable, ready to drink.

2007 vintage

Menthol on the nose. On the palate, cherry, roasted red pepper, and old leather, with moderate acidity and a slightly oily mouthfeel. I think this is the first 2003 Brunello I have had that was severely affected by the heat of the vintage. This is not a fatally flawed wine, but it is a poor representative of Brunello. Its one advantage is that it was utterly cheap -- but even then, it's only average for value. I would prefer to …

2003 vintage

Has now developed some mature forest floor and mushroom notes on an appealing, old world nose. It remains, however, quite tight on entry and with an overly dry, tannic finish that overwhelms the modest fruit flavors. After an hour open and a few sips it relaxes a bit, but it's still not exactly my cup of tea. I'll give it 3 years before I open my last bottle. Here's hoping there will still be some fruit left as the acid …

2003 vintage

A fantastic dinner companion and even better than the fantastic 2005 and 2006 (though it doesn't quite coat the mouth the way the '06 did), this is now stepping into its drinking window with deep, fruit-driven backbone and harmony. Worked well with kale walnut risoto and pan-browned sausages.

2007 vintage

Very nice Brunello. Ready to drink.

2007 vintage

Reporting 2 hrs after opening. Tannins are pronounced as in a young Bordeaux. I happen to enjoy drinking wines in their youth. Accompanied by the right food (it is a food wine at this point) this is quite satisfying. 3hrs in, cherries and raspberries are starting to emerge. But in the end after 5hrs it never really opened up. My regret is to choose pasta with flagiole beans, sausage and escarole, instead of steak as a pairing.

2007 vintage

Well, sort of interesting. Two years in the box has actually improved this wine (slightly) and that is a bit of a surprise given where this started. In fact I am still working on my '99s and '01s from the region (having only recently had my last '97) and I am still not 100% convinced Brunellos improve beyond a few years of age (although they certainly endure). This remains simple and generic, but there was a bit more cherry tonight, …

2003 vintage

Dunkleres Granatrot, mit aufhellendem Rand. In der Nase Maraschinokirsche, etwas Ferrero Mon Cherie, Leder, Zigarrenkiste. Im Mund spürbare Tannine und Säure - gut eingebunden und reif. Schwarzkirsche, und dunkle Früchte, mit eleganten Gewürznoten. Körperreich und eher etwas eleganter. Guter Holzeinsatz. Ein sehr klassisch wirkender Brunello, mit noch genügend Potenzial für die nächsten 6 - 8 Jahre.

2007 vintage

Deep ruby color. Complex nose of dry black cherry, tobacco leaf, spice, and earthy notes. Full bodied on the palate and mouthcoating, with some residual tannins on the back end.

2001 vintage

Lots of black licorice. Very dry. tried it a second night - less intense, still dry. more red fruit.

2007 vintage

Very rich style with black cherry, integrated oak, and beautiful woodsy aromas. Fruit is clean without a hint of overripeness. Drink now.

2001 vintage

Sharp, acidic, lacking the complexity and earthiness I expect in this wine. For casual meal.

2003 vintage

Meh; double meh. How this wine could have an average of 87 points (i.e. very good) truly baffles me. What is everyone thinking? It is certainly no better than average as compared to other Tuscan wines, and when compared to other Brunellos it is clearly very subpar. People, not every wine is above average; by definition some must be below average. Why is the average wine on this website rated at 88 points?! But I digress. This is just not …

2003 vintage

Pnp. No vis bricking, lsts of sed. In a great place now, at Peak? A hit at local Italian rest.

2001 vintage

Excellent wine. Tanzer's notes are spot on. Drinking beautifully right now.

2001 vintage

Medium garnet colour. Dried berry, earthy mineral and withered wood nose and flavours. Elegant and spiced palate; fine acidity, balanced grip; warming, evolved finish. 4/5

2007 vintage

The wine had spoiled

2000 vintage

Delicious wine in its prime. Notes of sour red cherry, licorice and tobacco. Velvety smooth with a finish that leaves you wanting more.

2001 vintage

Good but not great

2007 vintage

Expressive nose-fig, tobacco; dense, ripe, chewy and a bit over extracted. Very new-worldly.

2001 vintage

Very nice bottle of wine. Nice dark fruit, great dusty terroir flavor, nice, smooth finish.

2003 vintage

Shows the heat of the vintage with a slightly stewed profile. Also turned a little flat too quickly with air.

2003 vintage

Medium ruby with some bricking. Funky nose of ripe fruit, kirsch. Dry tart tannins, ripe fruit, plums. Medium body, round tannins, bitter almonds. tart fruit and tannic finish.

2003 vintage

Dark ruby with garnet rim, strong nose of ripe prune. PnP 87, Dry, ripe fruit with undertones of lemon and bitter, green stem. a little air brings out fruit and integrates flavors, mellows tannins and acid. Given a day or two, fruit, tannins and acid have further integrated, up 2 pts. Medium plus body, some tart blackberry and currants just a hint of bitter almond tannins which does detract for me from overall good rating. It has developed into a …

2003 vintage

Medium ruby, dusty nose. Dry, earthy mineral, medium fruit, prunes with a little bitter on the end, light tannins. Corked on the counter for 4 days, blackberry fruit, bitter diminished with light acid, showing smooth tannins on the finish. Raise a point.

2003 vintage

Terrific wine...still fairly young and tightly wound, but an overnight slow-oxygenation (i.e. pulled cork and drank a small pour on Day 1, then recorked overnight in cellar) seemed to help quite a bit. Dark cherry, soil, slightly bitter herbaceousness, medium acidity. Obvious Sangiovese character, but on the modern side of Brunello (more fruit, less minerality).

2001 vintage

Fine enough wine but nothing spectacular. Smooth but without varietal character. Additional aging will not help

2003 vintage

This wine requires a lot of work. High acidity, rough finish. Wine begin to improve with 6 hours of decanting. At $20 it's a good deal as long as you are willing to let it out for a while

2003 vintage

Ready to go - drink it if you have it. The fruit is sweet, which is uncharacteristic of BdM, but with the substantial dark soil components, it still holds on to its Italian heritage, even if tasted blind. Tannins fully resolved, rounded, and capturing the fruit and essence of this wine. Not true to typicity, but enjoyable

2001 vintage

Pleasant enough with an hours air but seriously I've had Chianti Classico this good. It did put on considerable weight with air though so let it breathe in a decanter if possible.

2003 vintage

Dark ruby, cherry with oak nose. P&P, medium dry, cherry, bell pepper with dry tannins. While a cheap BdM in a hot year, this is a good QPR. Maybe not a great BdM, but a good Rosso. Second night; muted nose of raspberry. A nice fresh tartness, red plums with a little spice in the background, stone fruits with tannins. Enough complexity to keep it interesting, nice with sharp food with more aging possibility. I could sure go for a …

2003 vintage

Yes, it's from a notoriously poor vintage. And, yes, it doesn't live up to the hype of K&L's write-up (although even they note the challenges inherent in its '03 vintage). But give an hour or two to breathe -- or a couple of runs through the aerator -- and it throws off its 'hot' nose and offers up a bit of fruit, a hint of anise and a surprisingly nice, albeit short finish. Connoisseurs will surely find it lacking. But …

2003 vintage

There are some best left on the vine, Hot year, but no excuse for this joke of a BdM. Not even a good Rosso. Cooked, high acid, bitter, bitter cherry. Did I say bitter? Felt thin as well, just to add insult to injury. I am also ALL DONE with these overblown write-ups from K&L Wine Merchants.

2003 vintage

Fair but far from exciting

2003 vintage

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Velona, Brunello di Montalcino

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