This Week's Must-Try Wines from Vinous
Pian dell'Orino
Vigneti del Versante Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2016
Crushed stone, wild herbs and tart black cherries lift up from the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Vigneti del Versante, but that’s only the beginning. With time, this blossoms further, gaining a sweeter fruit profile and autumnal spices with hints of shaved cedar. Its textures are remarkably refined and silky in feel, with an intense concentration of tart red fruits, yet energy is maintained through brilliant acidity, as grippy tannins build steadily toward the close. The Vigneti del Versante tapers off with amazing length, youthful poise and a balanced structure, promising many, many years of positive evolution. This is really something to behold. I tasted the 2016 from a freshly opened bottle and from one that had been opened for two days prior that showed no signs of decline; in fact, it blossomed further. Simply stunning. (Eric Guido, Vinous, December 2021)
— 2 years ago
Tenuta Greppo (Biondi-Santi)
Riserva Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2013
The 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva blossoms in the glass in a display of understated power mixed with purity. This unfolds more like a whisper than a shout, wafting up with a delicate bouquet of fresh violets, lavender and a dusting of shaved cedar and clove. With time, it deepens further, pulling you down to earth with aromas of wild strawberry and underbrush. The textures are like pure silk gently draped across the palate, but what they leave behind is a more engaging and classic mix of salty mineral tones and tart red berries, all lifted by juicy acidity. This then takes another turn, now toward the savory spectrum, as wild herbal and inner earth tones mix with a fine layer of sweet tannin to create a youthfully austere yet not overtly structured expression, leaving a nuance of tobacco to linger long. The 2013 presents an intriguing interpretation of the Biondi Santi Riserva, one that shrugs off the grippy, gruff, almost rustic tannins of the past in exchange for a more youthfully harmonious expression. Will it age? Maybe not for 50 years, but considering that this beauty was open and tasted over the course of three days, I'm convinced that it will be thrilling for the next few decades to come. (Eric Guido, Vinous, December 2021) — 2 years ago
Siro Pacenti
PS Riserva Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2015
Dark cherries, cloves and dusty rose lift up from the aromatically stunning 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva PS. This gains in depth and richness with time in the glass, as hints of plum sauce and sage evolve. You can feel the sheer weight of the old vines here, soaking the palate with velvety depths of spicy red and black fruits, but with a cooling wave of minty herbs. Soft, sweet tannins gain a salty and very mineral twang under an air of savory herbs and tobacco, showing incredibly long and structured yet massively dark, like a black hole of concentration. Frankly, I underestimated this wine the last time I tasted it, and I am happy to upgrade my score. (Eric Guido, Vinous, December 2021)
— 2 years ago
Pian dell'Orino
Vigneti del Versante Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2015
The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Vigneti del Versante opens with a captivating bouquet, delicate yet pleasantly sweet, showing ripe cherries and wild berries complemented by a dusting of cinnamon. This is soft and fleshy, with a hint of balsamic spice giving way to red currants and hints of violet candies. Round tannins linger, mingling with residual acids and inner florals to create a truly harmonious finale. It’s not as long-lived as the bigger vintage 2016 will be, but this is an absolutely glorious expression of Vigneti del Versante. Tasted twice with consistent results. (Eric Guido, Vinous, December 2021)
— 2 years ago
Tenuta Le Potazzine
Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2015
Dusty, smoky and darkly floral, the 2015 Brunello di Montalcino is easily one of the most successful wines of the vintage. There are depths currently unseen in this youthful beauty, as nuances of cherry and shaved cedar evolve in the glass. This is soft and enveloping, both pinching at the palate with zesty acids and minerals and soothing it with an elegant display of ripe fruits. A fine layer of tannin lingers, just enough to help the 2015 evolve gracefully. I’m reeling at the balance and elegance on display here. Whether it’s the high elevations of their northwest vineyards or the pursuit of purity this family upholds, this bottle totally reaffirms in my mind that Le Potazzine created one of the most harmonious wines of the 2015 vintage. (Eric Guido, Vinous, December 2021)
— 2 years ago
Podere Salicutti
Piaggione Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2016
The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Piaggione pulls you deeper and deeper into the glass with an alluring display of floral-tinged wild berries, balsamic spices and sweet pipe tobacco. For all of the intensity on the nose, the palate is incredibly pure and energetic, offering notes of plum and currants cascading across a core of bright acidity. This is a mix of opulent pleasure and tension, tapering off to a nuanced coating of tannins and a mix of blue and purple-tinged inner florals. There is much more balance here than I recall, as the Piaggione is coming along beautifully in the bottle. (Eric Guido, Vinous, December 2021)
— 2 years ago
Fattoria Poggio di Sotto
Riserva Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2015
The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva has gained significantly in richness and volume since the last time I tasted it. Sage, black cherries and camphor give way to crushed stone, mineral tones and dusty rose. This soothes the palate with silky, delicate textures, as ripe mineral-tinged red berries and savory spices cascade across a core of brisk acidity. It’s a well-muscled dancer of a wine, tapering off incredibly long and graceful with hints of violet and rose over a coating of fine tannin. The 2015 currently shows the textbook ethereal weightlessness of a classic young Poggio di Sotto Brunello, but it will require some time to reveal all of its charms. That said, a slight score upgrade is in order here. (Eric Guido, Vinous, December 2021)
— 2 years ago
Tenuta Le Potazzine
Le Potazzine Riserva Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2011
It’s almost impossible to pull yourself away from the bouquet of the 2011 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. Here I’m finding a beguiling mix of crushed dried roses, incense and red currant complemented by autumnal spice and hints of menthol and smoke. The textures are velvety-smooth, coating all they touch in ripe, lavender-tinged red and black fruits, contrasted by hints of sour citrus and a salty core of minerals. This tapers off with outstanding length. Structured for the long haul, but already showing a glimpse of the glorious Riserva that it will one day mature into. Wow – and from the 2011 vintage. Only 3,000 bottles were produced. (Eric Guido, Vinous, December 2021)
— 2 years ago
Baricci
Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2016
Dark and animal in nature, the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino comes to life like a savage beast waking from a deep sleep, sleek yet still shaking off its slumber. Purple-tinged florals and herbal tones meet depths of dark mineral-tinged fruits and hints of animal musk. This is silky-smooth upon entry, yet it quickly gains in tension and poise, as grippy tannins come to the fore, slowly drying the tart wild berry fruits, while becoming spicy and more grippy with every sip. The cheeks pucker with residual tannic tension as this finishes painfully young yet long, with hints of licorice. The extra time in bottle has only propelled the 2016 even further than expected. (Eric Guido, Vinous, December 2021)
— 2 years ago
Delectable Wine
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Tart cherries come together with nuances of dried flowers, citrus and old spice box as the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Pelagrilli opens in the glass. It’s silky and round, yet a core of salty minerality creates a savory tension, as bright red berries and inner florals amass toward the close. This finishes lightly structured with tart fruits and a hint of wild herbs. The Pelagrilli comes from the winery’s vineyards in the north, where the higher content of clay adds an attractively plush weight, which, coupled with 24 months in barrique, makes for a wonderfully opulent but balanced wine. (Eric Guido, Vinous, December 2021)
— 2 years ago