rifle13

Great article, Craig. I love Brunello, but with as expensive as it's become, I've had to move on to other, more affordable alternatives. I was lucky enough to go to Montalcino a few times and it's truly a magical place. One thing that some people may want to know is that the Altesino Montosoli, Caparzo La Casa, and Canalicchio di Sopra Brunellos are all made from grapes grown in the Montosoli vineyard. If you don't want to pay Montosoli or La Casa prices, the Canalicchio is a great alternative, showing the terroir beautifully. One more thing - it's been my experience that the Rosso di Montalcinos in lesser vintages are particulaly great values. Why? Because the producers declassify their grapes that would normally go into the Brunello bottlings and use them in Rosso. The 1992 Caparzo Rosso normale, while lighter, had as much Brunello character as some other producers regular Brunello offerings. There is hope for 2002! David Poweska Wine Manager Binny's Beverage Depot Niles, IL

Sorry to be weighing in so late here, but registering isn't the fast and easy process I was anticipating... Perfect vintage - the Wine Spectator has engaged in the ultimate hyperbole and left themselves nowhere to go. Other vintages from other areas can only match this one, not exceed it, in quality (not to mention that the entire concept of rating a vintage is a specious one, what with vineyards planted over hundreds of square miles). I find it interesting that, so far, no wine has scored 100 points (but don't worry, Gaja still hasn't been rated yet). What does this say about the producers, if you care to believe that WS is a credible critic? I think it says "you had perfect grapes and conditions and still couldn't make perfect wine". I'll take this time to remind everyone that WS gave scores in the 50s to Bruno Giacosa's wines from the 1989 and 1990 vintage (of course, they went back and rerated them at a later point, so the original ratings don't show on their website or in the books). It was nice of them to give Bruno some love this time around, though. Maybe they felt like they owed it to him.