Today we are dealing with one of the superstars of Brunello as well as one of our favorites from the region. When the wines from Livio Sassetti’s Pertimali estate are ‘on’, they are indeed the finest wines in Montalcino. Even in more difficult vintages, the wines perform remarkably. As always, it starts with the ‘dirt. Livio’s ‘dirt’ focuses on the famed ‘cru’ vineyard of Montosoli. So, start with one of Montalcino’s greatest sites and add meticulous farming and winemaking, and it is easy to explain their consistent success.
In most vintages, for this house the question is how close to perfection can they come. They have received numerous 96-, 97-, and 98-point scores from the critics on a number of vintages. James Suckling has handed them triple digit touts on two occasions (2010 and 2016 were both ‘100 pointers’).
In the vineyard and in the cellar, father Livio and his two sons work in observance of time-honored traditions, including hand harvesting, giant grandi botti for aging, and spontaneous fermentations, all in accordance with the phases of the moon and organic farming regulations. The wines are rich, deep, and perfumed, reflecting a very genuine style of Sangiovese.
What is almost as predictable as this estate’s stellar, top of the category performance every vintage, is the quirks of the market for Brunello di Montalcino. As a generalization, Brunello buyers jump in big when a top vintage comes along. Once they’re ‘holding’, those buyers typically wait until the next superb vintage to reappear. In the meantime, the importers and agents in Europe have to work through every vintage in between. We figure that, and timing, are the only reasons we got a price like this on a wine of this caliber.
The story goes something like this. The 2016 vintage in Brunello was epic, indeed one of the greatest in modern history (as it was in most of Tuscany). The ‘usual suspects’ came out in force and bought up the 2016s. The 2017s and 2018's had the misfortune to follow one of the greatest vintages ever, and the buzz for the vintages wasn’t nearly as widespread. Couple that with the fact that Brunello producers don’t make a habit of varying prices. The vintners have the same price expectations vintage in and vintage out, regardless of the particulars of a given harvest. Those two factors clearly create headwinds for marketing the ‘not vintage of the century’ offerings. We’re pretty sure that had a lot to do with facilitating this remarkable deal in combination with Pertimali’s typical $90-$100 retail price. | | | As usual, the Pertimali di Livio Sassetti Brunello di Montalcino 2018 performed well above the crowd. The nose has the timeless aroma of great Brunello with effusive notes of plum and perfectly ripened black cherry alongside fresh mushroom and savory spice notes. Broad and sweet in the mouth favoring the fruit of a morello cherry with notes of sweet earth, forest floor and savory herbs. The palate is rather lush, the tannins refined, and the experience pretty darn textbook for Pertimali. We dare say this could hold its own in a lineup of 2016s.
From James Suckling, "96 Points! Intense aromas of black cherries, lavender and spice, such as nutmeg. Some sandalwood and bark, too. Full-bodied with a solid core of fruit and tannins for the vintage. Rather chewy, suggesting that additional bottle age is needed. Try after 2026."
From Audrey Frick at JebDunnuck.com, "94 Points! Rich with compact and velvety layers, the 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino offers fleshy aromas of fig, black licorice, mocha, and roasted sage. It is full-bodied and displays more freshness and transparency on the palate, although it remains fully ripe, with black cherry, plum, turned soil, and macerated violets. It has full and present ripe tannins, a hint of crushed rock, and a saline, savory finish. With its liqueur-like richness throughout, this is a fantastic expression, but it needs a couple of years in the cellar before drinking over the following 10."
From Wine Spectator, "93 Points! Ripe and juicy, this red reveals plum, cherry, earth, tobacco and menthol aromas and flavors. Well-structured, delivering dense, dusty tannins and ample fruit to match, with a long, complex finish."
Succinctly, this is an unexpectedly delicious Brunello and the best ‘number’ is the last one. We’re selling this $90-$100 bottle of Brunello for $48.98! You save enough to put together a pretty fine meal to go along with it. Saluté!
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