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Three stars for Brunello 2000

Published:  23 July, 2008

By Jo Burzynska

The torrid heat which hit Tuscany this summer has led to the 2000 Brunello vintage being awarded just three stars out of five. The rating, decided by a panel of oeneologists, was announced by the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino at last week's Benvenuto Brunello event. The heat, which caused the grapes to ripen early, also reduced the size of the harvest by 10-15%. Director of the Brunello consortium, Stefano Campatelli, commented: "This was due to weather conditions that were good but clearly not exceptional. Brunello 2000 will be powerful, robust and have great alcoholic structure, but less general balance and smoothness than usual." The consortium's president, Filippo Baldassarre Fanti, explained that the star ratings system was in place to guide producers as to the amount of Brunello they should release from each year, with less marketed from difficult years. The Benvenuto Brunello event also showcased new vintages on the market: the 1996 Brunello di Montalcino from another three-star vintage, the Brunello di Montalcino Riserva from the top-rated five-star vintage of 1995, and 1999 Rosso di Montalcino from a four-star vintage.

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