Gianni Brunelli Brunello di Montalcino Italy 2018 (14% ABV) – 93.3
BB | Garnet to pink. A mature and earthy nose, with smoked red meat, black fruits, dried flowers, tobacco, oak, and leather. Medium- to full-bodied, firm yet well balanced by the layered, sweet, black fruit. Log and austere to finish. 93
MP | An obvious nose of black fruit, with blackberry, blackcurrant, cherry, and plum. This is overshadowed by plenty of oak—licorice, oriental spice, incense, and sandalwood. On the palate, the cooked black-cherry and plum compote combines with the firm, drying tannins and high alcohol to create a very structured wine that perhaps needs more fruit to achieve the desired effect. I have a question mark over this wine's ability to improve—more is not always better. 94
AJ | Light and translucent. There's ample fragrant charm here—plum and strawberry fruits, but expressed with a milky grace and a sense of high-summer, honeyed sweetness. Very attractive and enticing. In the mouth, you'll find this is a relatively fresh and graceful wine, with brisk, poised acidity playing as big a structural role in the overall flavors as the poised yet finally sustained tannins. Impressive aromatic complexity on the palate, too. Lovely-sipping, scrutable wine already, but it is very finely balanced and will last well. Impressive classicism here. 93