JAMES SUCKLING: BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2015 AND 2016 BEST VINTAGES EVER
11/11/2020
JAMES SUCKLING: BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2015 AND 2016 BEST VINTAGES EVER
BINDOCCI (PRES. OF CONSORZIO BRUNELLO): THE BEST VINTAGES IN THE YEAR OF COVID LOOK SET TO BE OUR ‘COMMERCIAL VACCINE’
(Montalcino - SI, 11 November 2020). “An impressive vintage of Brunello di Montalcino (...) the greatest ever if it weren’t for the stupendous 2015”. This is the opinion of the 2016 vintage of Brunello di Montalcino expressed by James Suckling, one of the world’s most influential wine critics, in his article published today on his website www.jamessuckling.com. This response comes from the wine guru following his recent tasting of 212 labels of the new vintage, on sale from January 2021. The average scores assigned by the critic are excellent (50% rated 95/100 or more), highlighting the fact that “Brunello has arrived at an incredible average quality level and the small names as well as the great are making some of their greatest wines ever”.
President of the Consorzio del Brunello di Montalcino, Fabrizio Bindocci, says “In the year of Covid we have been lucky to find two great allies of our appellation in the 2015 and 2016 vintages, which we see as being a sort of commercial vaccine for the crisis in the sector. 2015 has allowed us to keep a market that has lost its old certainties afloat and we hope that 2016 is going to mark a new beginning. Unfortunately, we are currently witnessing an increase in new lockdowns both in Italy and abroad, just as we move into the most important commercial moment of the year. November and December account for approximately 30% of our total annual sales”.
The effects of the health emergency also include the postponement of the 2021 "Anteprime" of Tuscany's wines, including Benvenuto Brunello, the event which marks the debut of the new vintage on the market, until spring (May 14th to 21st). “A vintage as great as 2016 deserves to be honoured in the best way possible” - concludes Bindocci – “and we are looking at alternative formulas to celebrate it, with a combined campaign on both Italian and international digital channels”.