Siro Pacenti Brunello 2018
Giancarlo Pacenti is by far the leading exponent of the modern school of Brunello di Montalcino. No other producer has succeeded in crafting wines of this much textural beauty and refinement. ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous.com
Year after year, Siro Pacenti (run by the detailed-minded Giancarlo Pacenti) is one of the estates I most enjoy tasting during my annual trip to Montalcino. Talk about hitting the nail on the head. MONICA LARNER, The Wine Advocate
In 2018, Siro Pacenti made two charming Brunellos that transform the usual brooding power into a more youthfully expressive and energetic style. ERIC GUIDO
I'm really loving the first tranche of Brunelli 2018s that have started to arrive in the country. In fact, you know how you go through phases in wine and what appeals, at the moment it would be fair to say I'm on a Brunello jag, so I'm hyper-aware of each new release and making sure we get a good allocation. One of the most exciting arrivals is the small allocation of Siro Pacenti we receive each year. They're a super-star of the genre and the 2018 vintage has played to his strengths in every way. They're also remarkable value so do not miss them!
I told the story in an earlier offer this year about our visit in early 2022. That time, it was to taste through the 2017s forthcoming releases and also to get a handle on the estate and its truly gifted owner/winemaker, Giancarlo Pacenti. His wines have long been a benchmark for modern Brunello but it's his keen understanding of the process and his fruit that means, simply calling the wines "modern" styled doesn't adequately describe them. Giancarlo's ability to portray transparency of variety and site within a modern winemaking envelope is rare. As Eric Guido says of this trait, While Pacenti is also a fan of new oak, it is expertly applied to add accents to the wine without the overwhelming wood sensations that the word barrique brings to mind.
The home estate is to north of Montalcino and when you stand on the front steps you look back at a full view of the hills and village that sits atop. It's a good spot and the neighbours bare testament to the quality of the terroir; over the road is Canalicchio di Sopra, to the left is Fuligni, to the right is Valdicava, the hill of Montosoli, Altesino, Baricci and more.
??????Like them, the Pacenti family have been farming the slopes of Montalcino for decades. Giancarlo's grandfather was a key player in moving the family into wine production in the very early days of the consorzio. But, it wasn't until Giancarlo himself took over the winemaking that things changed...radically! This is the type of guy you want to hand your family business to.
He brought with him a clarity of vision for the wines he wanted to make as well as an almost peerless grasp of winemaking and viticulture. His wines would quickly become renowned for their incredibly precise, modern styling that manages to preserve the savoury beauty of sangiovese grosso while imbuing them with a edge of plushness and singularity. It's a balancing act that few can manage or even have the vision to try. Pacenti is a rare bird in this respect.
The estate is in fact made up of two separate estates - this one in the north of Montalcino at Pelagrilli and planted by Giancarlo's grandfather in 1970 and the other an earlier 1960s planting in the south of Montalcino at Piancornello. There are two bottlings: the Pelagrilli which comes off the northern estate where the cooler site and clay soils deliver wines of high fragrance and a delineated aromatic and flavour profile.??????Whereas the Vigna Vecchia is off the slightly older vines and warmer southerly site where rocky, poor soils deliver a wine that's always most powerful and dense by comparison to the Pelagrilli. Both are wonderful examples of the two specific terroirs and underline
The reviews below from Eric Guido give a very good impression of the wines of 2018. A couple of extra things to note though:
There was no Vigna Vecchie Riserva produced in 2018. All of that fruit has gone to the Pelagrilli. It's a great Brunello at the best of times but this addition has super-charged the quality. At the pricing it has to be the best value Brunello in Australia right now.
As I said in the first paragraph, don't miss them!
Cheers
Michael
Year after year, Siro Pacenti (run by the detailed-minded Giancarlo Pacenti) is one of the estates I most enjoy tasting during my annual trip to Montalcino. Talk about hitting the nail on the head. MONICA LARNER, The Wine Advocate
In 2018, Siro Pacenti made two charming Brunellos that transform the usual brooding power into a more youthfully expressive and energetic style. ERIC GUIDO
I'm really loving the first tranche of Brunelli 2018s that have started to arrive in the country. In fact, you know how you go through phases in wine and what appeals, at the moment it would be fair to say I'm on a Brunello jag, so I'm hyper-aware of each new release and making sure we get a good allocation. One of the most exciting arrivals is the small allocation of Siro Pacenti we receive each year. They're a super-star of the genre and the 2018 vintage has played to his strengths in every way. They're also remarkable value so do not miss them!
I told the story in an earlier offer this year about our visit in early 2022. That time, it was to taste through the 2017s forthcoming releases and also to get a handle on the estate and its truly gifted owner/winemaker, Giancarlo Pacenti. His wines have long been a benchmark for modern Brunello but it's his keen understanding of the process and his fruit that means, simply calling the wines "modern" styled doesn't adequately describe them. Giancarlo's ability to portray transparency of variety and site within a modern winemaking envelope is rare. As Eric Guido says of this trait, While Pacenti is also a fan of new oak, it is expertly applied to add accents to the wine without the overwhelming wood sensations that the word barrique brings to mind.
The home estate is to north of Montalcino and when you stand on the front steps you look back at a full view of the hills and village that sits atop. It's a good spot and the neighbours bare testament to the quality of the terroir; over the road is Canalicchio di Sopra, to the left is Fuligni, to the right is Valdicava, the hill of Montosoli, Altesino, Baricci and more.
??????Like them, the Pacenti family have been farming the slopes of Montalcino for decades. Giancarlo's grandfather was a key player in moving the family into wine production in the very early days of the consorzio. But, it wasn't until Giancarlo himself took over the winemaking that things changed...radically! This is the type of guy you want to hand your family business to.
He brought with him a clarity of vision for the wines he wanted to make as well as an almost peerless grasp of winemaking and viticulture. His wines would quickly become renowned for their incredibly precise, modern styling that manages to preserve the savoury beauty of sangiovese grosso while imbuing them with a edge of plushness and singularity. It's a balancing act that few can manage or even have the vision to try. Pacenti is a rare bird in this respect.
The estate is in fact made up of two separate estates - this one in the north of Montalcino at Pelagrilli and planted by Giancarlo's grandfather in 1970 and the other an earlier 1960s planting in the south of Montalcino at Piancornello. There are two bottlings: the Pelagrilli which comes off the northern estate where the cooler site and clay soils deliver wines of high fragrance and a delineated aromatic and flavour profile.??????Whereas the Vigna Vecchia is off the slightly older vines and warmer southerly site where rocky, poor soils deliver a wine that's always most powerful and dense by comparison to the Pelagrilli. Both are wonderful examples of the two specific terroirs and underline
The reviews below from Eric Guido give a very good impression of the wines of 2018. A couple of extra things to note though:
There was no Vigna Vecchie Riserva produced in 2018. All of that fruit has gone to the Pelagrilli. It's a great Brunello at the best of times but this addition has super-charged the quality. At the pricing it has to be the best value Brunello in Australia right now.
As I said in the first paragraph, don't miss them!
Cheers
Michael