However, if—like me—you want to go straight to the source, join me in April on my tour of Tuscany with the Stewart Travel Group. We will visit that square hilltop of Montalcino, receive an insider tour and tasting at the historic Biondi Santi estate, and finish off with dinner at a Michelin-star restaurant. It is going to be “da bomb!”
estate remained largely unappreciated. Almost 100 years would go by before Brunello captured the attention of the wine world, and popularity started to soar. In 1999, Wine Spectator named the 1955 Biondi Santi Brunello Riserva one of the “Wines of the Century.” Wines from the square hilltop town of Montalcino are now considered the “king” of Italian wines, rivaled only by Barolo, a wine made from the Nebbiolo grape, from an area north of Montalcino. This story alone makes Brunello “da bomb” in my eyes. Knowing you have something special, but having to wait a hundred years before you gain recognition, shows such tenacity and confidence—but tasting Brunello really is like a bomb for your senses. First, you enjoy an explosion of the most perfectly ripe cherries you have ever tasted, followed by dried rose petals and that broken-in leather jacket that you bought in your youth instead of paying rent. It is an in-your-face, “I will not be ignored” wine that can handle a porterhouse steak with a blue cheese crust with ease. It elicits moans of pleasure that can make some people blush. Delayed gratification is the essence of the winemaking philosophy of Brunello wines, not just their story. Brunello wines must be made from 100 per cent Sangiovese Grosso, and may not be released until the first of January the fifth year after harvest. (The Riserva cannot be released until the sixth year after harvest.) That means the 2015 vintage, a standout for the area, has just been released—an item a wine collector should consider investing in. However, Biondi Santi’s Brunello is best if you wait at least another ten years before popping the cork. As is the case in most wine regions nowadays, some producers have branched away from Clementi Santi’s original way of “delayed pleasure,” and use smaller barrels and less skin contact to minimize the intense drying sensation known as “tannins” in wine. Here in PEI, you can find three Brunello wines at your local wine store. Two are made in the traditional style invented by Biondi Santi: they are the Pian delle Vigne Brunello, by the Antinori family, and the Casisano Brunello, by the Tommasi family. The third Brunello is made by the Bottega estate for immediate consumption.
▲ Lesley Quinn (Photo: Kimberly Rashed) CMS & FWS SOMMELIER 2017 AtlanticCanada Top Sommelier 403.835.5939
Lesley Quinn was born and raised in Prince Edward Island. Her first opportunity in wine came as Junior Sommelier at the Ritz-Carlton in the Cayman Islands. They supported her as she completed the first two levels of the Court of Master Sommeliers to become a Certified Sommelier. Work has taken her to Calgary, Vancouver, Halifax, and Turkey. Wine has taken her to France, Italy, Austria, Portugal, Chile, and California. In 2017 she won the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers Top Somm Competition Atlantic division. Now back on PEI she’s sharing her knowledge under the guise of StellarSomm Wine Experts. Ask her what her favourite wine is and she says “I love all my babies equally.” Want to learn more about wine? Head to www.stellarsomm.com
WINTER 2020 www.pei-living.ca
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