Nicolas Belfrage: Medium-deep. Clean if faintish nose, which develops to reveal cherry fruit and balsam. Again, the acidity (on the low side) lets it down in the context of Sangiovese. High-quality fruit but not the structure to hold it up—pity. 16

Stephen Brook: Ripe oaky nose, with voluptuous cherry and blackberry fruit. Rich and suave, creamy in texture and opulent in its mouthfeel, which would suggest Napa as much as Tuscany were it not for the formidable tannins and grip that balance the superficial softness of fruit. Has weight and a certain loftiness and impressive depth of flavor, as well as persistence. Needs a few years, but the potential is excellent. 18

Andrew Jefford: Light, clear garnet. Ample aromatic force, though assembled in a slightly hodgepodge manner. Unrefined red-fruit notes dominate. Tangy, long, searching, linear, and relatively lean-fruited, this hungry panther-like Brunello quickly loses itself in thickets of licorice and dry grass. You can’t fault its concentration, and I can imagine classicists rating this throat-catching, food-hungry wine a little more highly than I do. I jib slightly at that very tart conclusion and dry, evaporative grippiness, but at the same time I admire it as a cultural object and the outcome of centuries of Tuscan winemaking tradition. A subtler and more artfully constructed aromatic profile would win it a higher score. 13.5