After the last round where Amarone (2015 Speri Sant‘Urbano) very controversially beat a Barolo (2016 Michele Chiarlo Cerequio), we see if it can continue to defy the odds by facing up against Brunello.
Brunello (2016 Altesino Montosoli) won an all Tuscan face off versus 2016 Grattamacco).
This time a frown bought a special bottle of Bertani round, so the budget was somewhat higher than usual.
As usual notes and results are in the comments but I am happy to report that I should avoid further Reddit abuse 🙂
by rob1001-
1 Comment
Wine 1) 2015 Giodo Brunello di Montalcino, 100% Sangiovese, 14% alcohol.
Robert Parker 97+/100, James Suckling 100/100, Falstaff 98/100, Vivino 4.5/5.
150 EUR paid October 2025
Wine 2) 2015 Bertani Amarone, Valpolicella Classico, 80% Corvina, 20% Rondinella, 15.5% alcohol.
James Suckling 100/100, Falstaff 98/100, Galloni 93/100, Vivino 4.3/5.
145 EUR paid October 2025
About the vineyards:
Giodo: Six hectares of vineyard between Sant’Angelo and Sant’Antimo. Uses a blend of eight Sangiovese clones. Southeast facing pebble rich soils at 300m. Two and a half years in large French oak casks, followed by 18 months in the bottle.
Bertani – A mixture of basalt soils, marine gravel, red and white limestone, and clay. The grapes are dried for 78 days before fermentation according to the Fruttai method. 7 years in Slavonian oak barrels.
Tasting: We started with the Brunello. I was immediately struck by the smoothness of this wine, despite also showing great complexity. Wonderful fruits, especially red cherry. Some balsamic vinegar notes, in a good sense! Great structure and tannins leading to wonderful leather and tobacco flavours. Moving onto the Amarone. Fantastic notes of plum, cherry but also an amazing spiciness. Acidity well balanced, tannins smooth. Highly concentrated as you would expect, this is a top Amarone.
Verdict: The group was almost unanimous in preferring the smoother style of the Brunello. The flavours were so well balanced, that even though the Bertani was fantastic, I have to say the Giodo matched my personal preference better and its Brunello which goes through to the next round.