Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2021 Poggio di Sotto

Restrained raspberries, leather, violets and cherry pits with rusty minerality. Supple palate with a full body, tension from lifted acidity and dense, velvety tannins. Precise and lingering in the finish. One of the best of its category in a promising vintage. Drinkable now, but will age well.

The 2021 Rosso di Montalcino is dark and intense, smoldering up with masses of smoky black cherries, sage and incense. This possesses a core of ripe wild berry fruit underscored by saline minerals and savory spice, all guided by zesty acidity. The 2021 finishes structured and long, with a concentration that reminds me more of Brunello than Rosso, leaving grippy tannins and hints of sour citrus that keep me looking back to the glass for more. There will be a 10% reduction in quantity for 2021 due to hail in August. The decision was also made to reduce maceration time down to a month, using a gentler practice to counterbalance the character of this warm and dry vintage.