Val di Suga Brunello di Montalcino 2015

If you haven’t noticed, there are 2014s and 2015s still on the market. Why? Because 2016 happened. Suddenly, despite the 2015 vintage being full of great, ageworthy Brunellos, most were passed up for the 2016 vintage, points or no points.

One of my favorite Brunello producers also happens to be one of the region’s most strict. Val di Suga, who for years has remained one of Tuscany’s finest and most consistent producers usually releases their wines pretty late. For the 2015 vintage, I think that hurt them a bit because they made a fantastic and super concentrated Brunello that received big scores but quickly got overshadowed by all the 2016 vintage talk.

The Brunello di Montalcinos at Val di Suga spend 24 months in Slavonian oak barrels and 12 months in concrete tanks before spending at least 12 months in the bottle. Many times, they’ll spend even more than 12 months in bottle prior to release, meaning that by the time they hit the market, they have already aged a few years and are already hitting their stride.