Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2016 Poggio di Sotto

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a stunning wine and an archetype of classic Sangiovese from Montalcino. I could drink this wine all day if it weren't so expensive. This Riserva is extremely fine and nuanced with the thinnest of fibers that wash over the palate like fine silk. Certified-organic fruit shapes aromas of cassis, cranberry, peony, tea leaf, orange and rusty nail. The aromas are tight and contained, yet they become increasingly expansive and expressive as the wine opens in the glass. It has contained power and, most importantly, a relatively moderate 14% alcohol, which makes all the difference in terms of balance and elegance. 8,000 bottles were made.

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. Try after 2023.

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.