Brunello Amore e Magia 2016 75cl

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Amore e Magia is more backward and darkly intense than usual. Black currants, cherry, smoky minerals, incense and savory herbs all come together to form a beguiling display. It’s velvety in texture with a display of polished purple-tinged fruits, which travels across the palate with admirable density, leaving minerals and a saturation of fine tannins in its wake. Youthfully monolithic and folded in upon itself, the Amore e Magia finishes on structure with only echoes of tart berries, plum and tobacco in the background. This is not for the faint of heart or Sangiovese purist, yet it is balanced for the cellar and overdelivers in every other way. It bears mentioning that this was tasted over two days and held firm to these notes.

From a vineyard site not too far away from the winery near Castelnuovo dell'Abate on the eastern and cooler side of the appellation, this wine was once a Rosso di Montalcino recently upgraded to Brunello status. With vines planted in 2000, the fruit now renders the complexity and depth to represent this celebrated Tuscan appellation. This is a tight and compact wine, with a nervous quality of fruit that will unwind and settle with more bottle age. This vineyard site produces fruit poised for long-term aging, and these 2016 results follow that mandate. There is a lot of crisp fruit, sour cherry and cranberry in this tonic, lively Brunello (with 15,000 bottles hitting the market in January 2021).

A focused, polished red with dark-berry, cherry, walnut and dried-flower aromas and flavors. Medium to full body and firm, caressing tannins. Lovely finesse and polish to this. Dusty texture. Needs a year or two to soften, but already pretty. Better after 2022.