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Tasting Notes
The Cerbaiona Brunello is medium plus bodied with elevated tannin and acidity. There are aromas and flavors of black and red cherry, mint and sandalwood, with a spicy minerality in the long finish.
Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
TANNIN
Low
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Tannin can range greatly in wine, but it is necessary to some degree, and a necessary constituent for red wines to age well. In high amounts, it can cause a drying affect, which is sensed mostly on the gums and tongue. Tannin is a natural preservative extracted from grape skins, otherwise known as polyphenols that are micronutrients and antioxidants with potential health benefits.
ACIDITY
Soft
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
14%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
Sangiovese is grown throughout Central Italy, but is most famous for Brunello Di Montalcino and Chianti Classico in Tuscany. While historically the quality of Sangiovese wines was variable, the best wines are influenced by terroir and low yields. At its best, it makes some of some of Italy’s best wines. It performs particularly well on limestone soils at higher altitudes yielding elegant age-worthy Tone & Backbone wines with a complex combination of red fruit, earth, and minerals.
The founder of Cerbaiona, Diego Molinari, nicknamed “Il Comandante,” or the Commander, is a former Alitalia pilot turned winemaker. Mr. Molinari is friendly, genuine, charismatic, and a great winemaker. He embraced a traditional approach, consulting with Biondi Santi, even acquiring his first vines from the venerable estate.
While the winery has now changed hands, Molinari’s approach remains intact. He farms organically, using only sulfur and copper in the vineyard as needed. Meticulously pruned vines are low-yielding and aged traditionally in large casks before bottled unfiltered.
The location of this small estate is mid-region in Montalcino, where the vineyards get the ripeness that characterizes some of the Southern estates but the structure of the Northern locales. These wines are a pure and noble expression of sangiovese.
Black Cherry
Spice Box
Sandalwood
Organic
