Col D'Orcia Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Vigna Nastagio Italy 2018 (15% ABV) – 89.7
BB | Garnet to tawny. Fairly complex, cedar-wood, tobacco, small red- and black-fruit, spicy nose. Medium-bodied, slightly rustic palate, with an earthy, spicy finish of only moderate length. 89
MP | Diffuse nose, with obvious dried herbs including oregano and bay, and some red fruit including tinned strawberry and raspberry. There is the gentlest hint of large oak, and the components work well together, but it never really leaves the blocks in terms of aromatic intensity. The finish is simple and pleasant but short and lacking the layers of flavor that consumers rightly expect at this DOCG's level. 89
AJ | Dark black-red, though clear. Well-mastered ripeness here, neither jammy nor kerosene-like; fragrantly sweet and attractive, with some grace notes. Round, fine-grained, and alluring. Deep, concentrated, and poised, and remarkably fresh; the vintage here seems to have given the wine a kind of centurion-like push and drive but without excessive sugar or sweetness. Impressive, firm, and long. I may have underscored it but I don't quite find the aromatic nuance and fragrance I'd hoped for; it's just a little four-square. 91