Bruno Besa | Ruby to garnet. Intense, mineral, small red wild-fruits nose. Floral, with red roses, red oranges, mint, and crushed stones. Medium body, with complex, refined, layered small red-fruit palate. Very long, with clean cranberry, raspberry, and bitter cherry finish. Great Sangiovese, for the cellar. | 92

Andrew Jefford | Deep, translucent garnet. Lots of overt clove spice on the nose: Christmas and primitive dentistry! Deep, but that’s pretty much all you get in terms of allusions. A strange effort. | 80

Michael Palij | A hugely exotic Brunello, with an emphasis on exotic spice, mineral oil, candied red fruit, tangerine, citrus peel, and floor polish. The palate is broad, and there is an attractive mix of alcohol, tannins, and acidity. Despite the promise on the nose, however, this wine remains simple on the finish, with the fruit coalescing into a compact but ultimately one-dimensional example. | 84