The recent scandal in Brunello is still simmering, and now our “esteemed American wine ‘journalists’” find themselves having to explain why they couldn’t spot the frauds when they were busy “rating” the latest (suspect) releases.
Seems the suspected fraudulent Brunellos were those “rated most highly” by these nimnods, and now, rather than face the music for not knowing their behinds from holes in the ground, these idiots want to blame Sangiovese for not being “noble enough” on its own to achieve the coveted 90+ points that the “journalists” bestowed on the fakes.
This is not only hubris, this is scandalous in itself. To Mr. Suckling (and the others), I have this to say: “STOP WRITING ABOUT WINE AS IF IT WERE SOMETHING YOU HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF.”
The reason DOC and Appellation laws exist in Europe is because everyone knows that the manufacturers of large-production, “food-processed wine” and their distributors are prone to fudge the facts – after all, there’s money to be made.
Just like the old days when Bordeaux was (literally) the “new kid on the block” and pumped up much of its wine with Madiran and Cahors from further south, and when the négociants of Burgundy pumped up their Pinot with Syrah and Grenache from the Rhône, the addition of Cabernet and Merlot (both much easier to farm, and quicker to ripen than Sangiovese) to Brunello is FRAUD. It is unconscionable that these “journalists” who write about Italian wine without knowing anything about it would blame the “Real McCoy” for being what it’s supposed to be, rather than admit being wrong.
Further, their response will likely lead to a “changing of the rules” to allow for what is now considered fraud.
So Brunello in the future will likely taste like Napa Cab, thanks to these bozos, and Brunello will stop being the unique expression of a place and a culture. Just what we need, another anonymous, expensive red wine.
