Montalcino, 2003 vintage: Comments apply to all wines coming from the town of Montalcino, not just Brunello. However the star ratings from one to five given below are those given by the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino specifically for Brunello di Montalcino DOCG.

2003 **** (four)

2003 Vintage: ‘One of the hottest, driest vintages ever. Higher altitude vines near the town fared best. Lowest vineyards in the south suffered the worst,’ (Kerin O’Keefe, 2012, p276). Stressed vines, shut down.

2003 Wine style: ‘Overrated. Cooked fruit, low acidity, bitter tannins,’ (Kerin O’Keefe, 2012, p276).

2003 Production: The vineyard area comprised 1,903 hectares for Brunello and 228 hectares for Rosso producing 70,999hl of Brunello and 13,883hl of Rosso respectively.

Bibliography

Ian D’Agata, 2016, Decanter Italy Supplement 2016, p.98, ‘Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Rufina & Chianti Classico’.

Kerin O’Keefe, 2012, Brunello di Montalcino (University of California Press, 2012).