Stephen Brook | The nose is quite forthright, with ripe cherry aromas and a hint of undergrowth. The attack is fresh and bright, with good fruit concentration and moderate tannins. There’s nothing forced here, and the palate shows good complexity, with notes of mocha, as well as fruit. It’s fairly closed and needs time to unfurl, though the relatively light tannic structure suggests it may be best drunk over the medium term. | 91

Andrew Jefford | Deep, dark black red: lots of density of pigment here. Warm scents of currants, plums, prune, and embers. Subtle, not forceful, and one senses that there is more to come with air. A fruit sweetness, too; dry leaf and acorn. Very concentrated and searching, and rather elemental in style: give this plenty of age. At present, it is so tightly knit as to be almost forbidding, with ample acidity and tannin and resonant bitter notes on the finish. The hallmark, though—and this is what bodes well for storage—is that the wine’s warmth of fruit fills all of these creeks and cracks and crevasses; nothing is going to dry out or grow overly austere. Already a good score, but it may improve further with time. | 92

Michael Palij | There’s a wonderful floral dimension to this, with orange blossom and hawthorn alongside the black cherry, menthol, camphor, damson, and strawberry juice. Tannins are always a feature of Brunello, so it’s no surprise to find them well represented here, mingling with the subtle notes of black fruit. Excellent length, and the structural components are seamlessly integrated. | 95