Montalcino, 2005 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.

2005 **** (four)

2005 Brunello di Montalcino: Summer was cool and damp, so a very strict selection was made in the vineyard resulting in volumes that were less than 50% of a normal harvest.

2005 Growing season: Overall, a cooler than normal season. A year in which the better growers prepared to select only the best grapes had the edge.

2005 Vintage: Harvest rain compromised the crop (Kerin O’Keefe, 2012, p277). Francesco Leanza of Salicutti told me that 2005 was a hard vintage in which to get grapes fully ripe (at his winery Thursday afternoon, 24 Feb 2011).

2005 Wine style: Elegant, almost delicate, not complex, do not have ageworthy structures (Kerin O’Keefe, 2012, p277). ‘Midweight wines of average ageing potential,’ (Ian D’Agata 2016 Decanter Italy). ‘Cool weather Brunelli are rarely exciting or dramatic when young, but Montalcino itself is a relatively warm area, so a colder vintage actually balances some of the region’s tendency towards big, blowsy wines. Sangiovese is a grape that can age exquisitely, and I have little doubt that the best wines from this harvest will be terrific at age 15-20 and beyond,’ says Antonio Galloni (Emperor’s New Clothes).

2005 Production: The vineyard area comprised 2,024 hectares for Brunello and 247 hectares for Rosso producing 83,616hl of Brunello and 10,685hl of Rosso respectively.

Bibliography

Antonio Galloni, ‘2006 Brunello: The Emperor’s New Clothes or Historic Vintage?’. Vinous.com