Comparing 2001 Brunello’s
Wine Spectator’s James Suckling got his hands on some 2001 Brunello’s, many of which I was unable to taste, and he has the same consensus as Wine Expression, fantastic wines from Montalcino for this 2001 vintage. More notes from Suckling are promised, but some of his favorites where showcased on Wine Spectator’s site. What is interesting to note are the less than 4 point variation in ratings between our 2 overlapping wines comparred so far. An anonymous email I received today sparked my interest, in it, where comparisons of Wine Spectator, Wine Expression, and ratings from Vinography in a spreadsheet. As more ratings become available from Wine Spectator, it would be interesting to revisit this data to see how the scores compare. You can see Vinography’s full ratings here.
Obviously, all three of us have different taste buds, and Alder and I aren’t professionals, but armed with strong ratings from all 3 of us, you’re sure to find the outstanding bottles of the vintage, although in my opinion, you’ll be hard pressed to find a bad bottle. (Note: the dash denotes missing or no data)
| Wine | Wine Expression |
Wine Spectator | Vinography |
| 2001 Brunellos | Ratings | ||
| VALDICAVA Brunello di Montalcino 2001 | - | 98 | 9.5 |
| CASANOVA DI NERI Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nova 2001 | - | 97 | 9 |
| FANTI Brunello di Montalcino 2001 | - | 96 | 8.5 |
| LA RASINA Brunello di Montalcino Il Divasco 2001 | - | 96 | - |
| LA PODERINA Brunello di Montalcino Poggio Banale 2001 | - | 95 | 8.5/9 |
| PODERE SALICUTTI Brunello di Montalcino 2001 | - | 95 | - |
| SESTA DI SOPRA Brunello di Montalcino 2001 | - | 95 | - |
| SILVIO NARDI Brunello di Montalcino Vigneto Manachiara 2001 | - | 95 | - |
| Tornesi Brunello di Montalcino 2001 | - | - | 9.5 |
| La Colombina Brunello di Montalcino 2001 | 96 | - | - |
| IL Poggione Brunello di Montalcino 2001 | 95 | - | 9 |
| Donatella Cinelli Colombini Reserva Brunello di Montalcino 2001 | 94 | - | 8.5 |
| Innocenti Brunello di Montalcino 2001 | 94 | - | - |
| La Lecciaia Brunello di Montalcino 2001 |
94 | - | 9/9.5 |
| Le Chiuse Brunello di Montalcino 2001 | 94 | - | 7.5/8 |
| SIRO PACENTI Brunello di Montalcino 2001 | 93 | 97 | 9/9.5 |
| Costanti Brunello di Montalcino 2001 | 93 | 93 | 8.5 |
| La Fortuna Brunello di Montalcino 2001 | 93 | - | 8.5 |
| Camigliano Brunello di Montalcino 2001 |
92 | - | 8 |
| Casanuova delle Cerbaie Brunello di Montalcino 2001 | 92 | - | 8.5/9 |
| Le Chiuse Reserva Brunello di Montalcino 2001 | 92 | - | - |
| Marchesato degli Aleramici Brunello di Montalcino 2001 | 92 | 92 | 8.5/9 |
| Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino (traditional ageing) 2001 | 92 | - | 9 |
| EREDI FULIGNI Brunello di Montalcino 2001 | 91 | 95 | 8.5/9 |
| Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino 2001 |
91 | - | 8.5/9 |
| Lisini Brunello di Montalcino 2001 | 90 | - | 8.5/9 |
| Palazzo Brunello di Montalcino 2001 | 90 | - | 7.5 |
| Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino “Altero” (modern ageing) 2001 | 90 | - | 8.5/9 |
| La Mannella Brunello di Montalcino 2001 | 89 | - | 9/9.5 |



February 20th, 2006 at 1:50 pm
[...] So, there you have it. Does this mean you can trust my scores on Brunello’s James Suckling hasn’t written about? All I know is, the wines from this vintage are consistent, amazing, and still very young. I think James target “best after” date is right on; don’t touch these for at least another 3 or 4 years. This was my first experience with these wines and it wasn’t hard for me to see why collectors seek them out. This is a must buy vintage from Brunello. [...]