Le Potazzine Gorelli Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2011 750mL

If you’re a Brunello enthusiast, or even if you’re a serious Burgundy collector, you know that the 2011 vintage in Montalcino gave birth to a handful of fabulously seductive Sangioveses, some of which actually outpoint the stellar 2010s.

A handful of 2011 Brunelli are absolutely extraordinary, marrying lavish red-fruit plushness with fine dusty-tannin backbone. The 2011 Le Potazzine Gorelli was not only our top wine of the vintage, it’s also Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate’s #1 Brunello of the Year. Here’s why.

The Wine Advocate posted a glowing review of the 2011 Potazzine. After spending three hours with a bottle last night, it’s not too difficult to understand why. Deep ruby-red. Extravagant, intensely concentrated aromas of black raspberry, violets, black cherry, anise, and sweet spice. Silken in texture, polished and pliant, infused with a mouthwatering mix of crushed-red-fruit preserves, black cherry, and a splash of kirsch, finishing with terrific freshness, tension, and vibrancy. The Wine Advocate suggests drinking this magnificent Brunello between 2017 and 2030. Based on our tasting notes from last evening, that may well be a conservative estimate of the 2011 Le Potazzine’s longevity.

96 points from The Wine Advocate, the highest rating of the 2011 vintage.

Vineyard:

From December 2010-March 2011, temperatures were much higher than usual, but there was barely a drop of rain or flake of snow. Bud break and flowering came very early, and the beginning of summer signaled another departure from the norm. Typically warm and sunny in Montalcino, June was cool and cloudy. In a decision that would dictate the fate of estates in 2011, some growers panicked and began dropping leaves and opening up canopies in the hopes of spiking maturity. At Le Potazzine, the Gorellis’ patience led them to leave canopies intact, a decision that would pay enormous dividends two months later.

Around August 10th, a blast of dry heat blew in from northern Africa. In just a few days, fully exposed clusters were scorched and, as nighttime highs hovered in the 80s, many vineyards suffered from dehydration. The mature, deep-rooted vines of Le Potazzine were sheltered by canopies that had been left intact. While neighbors rushed to pick blistered clusters, the Gorellis felt no such urgency, and delayed the call to harvest. When that call was finally made, the family’s Sangiovese had reached near-perfect phenolic maturity, making for a 2011 vintage at Le Potazzine that outpointed 2010!

Grape Varietals:

100% Sangiovese

97 Points - Wine Enthusiast, "Perfumed and elegant, this opens with enticing scents of rose, violet, fragrant berry, baking spice, tilled earth and a hint of new leather. The delicious, silky palate is loaded with finesse, offering juicy wild cherry, cinnamon, chopped mint, black tea and a note of pipe tobacco. It's already drop-dead gorgeous but will develop more complexity over the next several years. Enjoy through 2026."

96 Points - Wine Advocate, "Beautifully etched, focused and sharp, the 2011 Brunello di Montalcino is one of the best wines released this vintage in Montalcino. This is a spectacular effort that underlines the high quality of fruit that was obtained in this challenging vintage. Wild berry, cola and balsam herb aromas are followed by drying mineral tones that are elegant and graceful. The effect lingers long on the palate. Given its genuine and streamlined texture, the wine promises to flesh out further as it completes its long evolution. If you are in the market for 2011 Brunello, I highly recommend Le Potazzine Gorelli."

93 Points - Cellar Tracker

91 Points -Wine Spectator