Brunello is “ageless”, it is the wine of a lifetime: a “mature” red when turning 18 on the threshold of adulthood, to pop open at graduation after five long years of studies at university and of ageing in the cellar, a “certainty” like when you turn 35, “reassuring” at 50 because it ages and improves over time, an uncommitted “sin” to indulge in when reminiscing on life at 80 years of age, an “exception” in the wine world that remains unflappable when it reaches the same age as those who extraordinarily turn 100. This is Brunello, as seen by MontalcinoNews, among the few wines in the world which is always there: the companion of a lifetime for wine lovers thanks to that great capacity to travel the passage of time, making it unique.
That one’s favorite wine can mark the rites of passage in a lifetime is the dream of every wine lover. And the charm and uniqueness of Brunello di Montalcino lie mostly in its ageing phases – at least two years in wood barrels and at least four months of bottle ageing, which become six for Riserva – when the wine matures slowly absorbing even more aromas and fragrances from the contact with the wood of the barrels where it rests.
In the world of wine it is a symbol of balance and maturity. Ready to be corked perhaps at 18 years of age (best to abstain beforehand…), the most-awaited threshold that is special and dreamed of to celebrate, as one should, with a wine that completely reflects the age of majority. But the toast to a university degree is also special: so longed for after years of study, five in theory, just as many as Brunello needs to lie in wait and age in before being put on the market (the first of January of the fifth year after the harvest). And while the new graduates step into the adventure in the world of work, the celebrated red marks its entry onto the world market.
At 35 years of age, there is the search for certainty, and Brunello, in its field, is precisely that. Loved and known the world over, produced only in Montalcino, the ideal terroir which lends itself to steadfast quality from the emblematic Tuscan vine, known for its characteristics of longevity; traces of all of these qualities are left in the glass. And so why not play it safe with great vintages such as ’97 or ’99, 2001, 2004, or 2006, just to name a few of the most recent ones among the most important given that they are still quite young? It is even how 50 feels when things are seen from a different perspective, and a glass of Brunello in hand “reassures” with its ability to improve with age and become more refined with the passing of time.
But the famous red is also the perfect companion to look back on life at 80, a time to reflect and regret the sins not committed but that one can still indulge in turning a blind eye on certain vices: one above all, you drink less, but choose better. And if one gets to 100? In this exceptional case, a wine of the same age is the best choice. And with Brunello it can certainly be found: a piece of history where time seems to have stopped, unflappable over centuries. And, in the end, the rule is as follows: let us not worry about our age, instead let us drink to it (well and in moderation…).