BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO

The year 2014 was one of the coolest, wettest ones in recent memory on mainland Italy, and the Montalcino region in Tuscany was no exception. But thanks to the expertise of dedicated producers, there are some lovely Brunellos from this just-released vintage of varietal Sangiovese wines.

With few exceptions, the 2014s are vibrant, loaded with finesse and ready to be enjoyed now and for the next several years. They’ll offer sheer drinking pleasure in the near term, while the wait continues for 2013 bottlings to fully develop.

Many Montalcino producers compared the 2014 growing conditions to the washout experienced in 2002. An unseasonably warm, wet winter segued into an extremely wet, cool spring. After a brief respite in early June, heavy rains and unusually cool temperatures returned along with hailstorms that hit scattered areas throughout the denomination.

With few exceptions, the 2014s are vibrant, loaded wine finesse and ready to be enjoyed now.

The weather pattern continued throughout July. The rain abated in August, but below-average temperatures continued into September, when heavy rains returned. The last week of the month brought sunshine and above-average temperatures that continued through the first half of October. Most producers harvested during that three-week period.

Good results from the 2014 vintage depended almost entirely on the producers. Growers had to intervene often to protect plant health as well as manage the leaves and canopy, and meticulous grape selection was pivotal to success. Producers also had to be scrupulous during vinification,