Banfi, Duke Basketball, & Tiger

(this was written earlier this year before the "Tigergate" scandal)

For whatever reason everyone loves to hate Duke basketball. When I was in college the sentiment was, in large part, only shared by Tar Heel fans but now it seems that even those that attended Honolulu State want to get their stabs in at Duke’s basketball team. Hell, even I don’t like Duke basketball and I haven’t watched an entire hoops game since Michael Jordan hung up his sneakers. That being said, Duke is always the team that other schools want to beat but never the team that other squads want to play. Why? Because no matter what they bring a solid game to the table, each and every time they take the court.

Back in February I was in Italy attending Benvenuto Brunello, an event that allows brunello producers to present their new vintages to the press and trade. I blind tasted about 6 dozen of the 2004 brunelli and overall the quality was quite high. While speaking with some fellow writers, before the tasting started, I noticed that there was clearly an undertone of big-producer bashing. I sensed that Banfi, who without question is the biggest dog on the block, along with other producers, were being ‘Duked’; singled out for reasons that are superficial, or at most, completely unimportant in the grand scheme of things. As I went about my business tasting, I tried to name my favorites to see if I could pick them out (a game us wine geeks play but never reveal the results to anyone unless we’re dead right). In the end I had them and made a note to buy for my personal cellar. I also tasted others that were just plain boring or made with no signs of affection at all.

Banfi’s wines scored fine with me, right up there alongside some smaller producers that have cult followings. Stylistically, Banfi’s brunello may not be walking a tightrope. It may not curl your toes or force you to make promises you can’t keep, but I’ve yet to have a bottle of Banfi brunello that hasn’t been a solid representation of Brunello di Montalcino. When you consider the amount of brunello Banfi produces, roughly 10% of all brunello produced, it’s actually remarkable to think that they can maintain the quality in such volume. These days, while dozens of small brunello growers are currently enjoying their cult status in the U.S., many forget that it was Banfi that first brought Brunello di Montalcino into the US in 1972 with their 1967 vintage of Poggio alle Mure. It was Banfi’s team in the 70s and early 80s that was teaching American restaurateurs and retailers how to pronounce “Brew-Nell-Oh”. While other growers still had artichokes and wild boar growing on their land, it was again Banfi that was investing heavily in clonal selection, conducting soil analysis, and experimenting with different types of oak in which to age their wine. Other brunello producers at the time (and still) scoffed at their efforts and mumbled that Banfi did not represent what brunello was all about; that they were not making real brunello.

When Tiger Woods first showed up on the PGA tour, he brought a new game and a new look-neither of which had ever been seen before. Much like what Tiger did for the tour in his first year, Banfi has done over the past 30 years, raising the awareness and overall quality of Brunello di Montalcino so that the rest of the producers benefit. There’s not a player on the PGA tour that hasn’t benefited from Tiger’s presence. The same could be said of Banfi for every producer of Brunello di Montalcino that sells wine in the US.

So what? Is Banfi’s brunello the equivalent of Tiger Woods’ golf game? Maybe not. Perhaps it’s more akin to Jim Furyk; very few mistakes and always in the hunt on Sunday. What’s important is that fine brunello is within easy reach to all wine lovers. There’s no need slink around and kiss-up to your local wine retailer to get a few bottles of Tenuta Holi-Maccheroni’s Brunello for $175. The oft maligned big guys are making serious juice too at prices more in line with today's economic outlook!

And by the way…..way to go Villanova!