30 great Rosso buys

Monty Waldin tasted through an extensive line-up of recent-release Rosso di Montalcinos. Here he presents his top-scoring wines

This was an incredibly enjoyable tasting for two reasons. The first is that the bulk of these Rosso di Montalcino DOC wines (which must be 100% Sangiovese under the DOC rules) came from 2016, a cracking vintage in Montalcino that provided clean, ripe, juicy Sangiovese grapes whose wines display a lovely inner freshness – crunchy, mouthwatering and moreish – allied to some really classy and smooth tannins.

The second is the nature of Rosso itself. Unlike its ‘big brother’ Brunello, Rosso di Montalcino does not have to spend even a nanosecond in oak, whereas Brunello must spend 24 months in oak (36 for riserva).

So much can go wrong when a delicate grape like Sangiovese is asked to spend 24 months in oak in a Mediterranean heattrap such as Montalcino. Sangiovese can quickly dry out and lose its fruit, turning tannic and picking up bruised apple notes.

That said, some of my favourite Rossos in the tasting were what I describe as mini-Brunellos – an oaked Rosso can have all the depth and interest of a Brunello while retaining its exuberance and lift, because it has remained in oak for only six or eight months rather than 24.

Given that Rosso di Montalcino generally sells for less than one third the price of Brunello, there is greater value and more versatility from a top Rosso di Montalcino than there is from a moderate Brunello.

Some commentators divide Rosso di Montalcino producers into two groups: those who grow, pick, ferment and age their Sangiovese vines in differing ways according to whether they will be destined for Rosso di Montalcino DOC or Brunello di Montalcino DOCG; and those who make their Rossos with the ‘off-cuts’ that don’t make it into the Brunello.

I see both choices as perfectly valid, and feel poor cellar hygiene often has far more of an effect on potential quality than any differences between the grape bunches that ended up behind a Rosso or Brunello bottle label.

The new Brunello wines are released each February at a Hollywood-style media and trade event held in Montalcino, called Benvenuto Brunello (‘Welcome Brunello’).

On this evidence, the burghers of Montalcino need to create a Ricordo Rosso, or ‘Remember Rosso Too’, event to even things up.

Because, remember, every great Brunello starts life as baby Rosso...