Brunello di Montalcino 2016 75cl

Alluring aromas of macerated cherry, strawberry and rose give way to a core of red fruit framed by iron, earth and tobacco in this elegant red, which is silky, but also well-structured, balanced and intense in a stylish profile. Very complex and promising. Best from 2024 through 2047. 1,600 cases made, 200 cases imported. — BS

You can lose yourself in the bouquet of the 2016 Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino. At one moment, the 2016 shows crushed cherries with autumnal spice; the next, it’s exotic florals and candied orange peels, and at another time flowery undergrowth, white smoke and wild berries. It’s unbelievably soft and pure, lifting the wine through saline-minerals, as sweet notes of cherry and raspberry begin to slowly saturate, yet what they leave behind is youthfully grippy tannins. With how structured the 2016 is today, it’s still enjoyable due to nervous acids and notes of sour citrus, which keep the expression fresh. The 2016 Poggio di Sotto Brunello is really a terrific effort and a classic in the making.

A chewy, dusty-textured red with lots of intense tannins and fresh blue fruit, as well as black cherries and some orange-peel undertones. It’s full-bodied and tight with firm tannins at the end. Closed. Give it another two or three years to come around. Try after 2023.