2015 Brunello di Montalcino

The Poggio di Sotto 2015 Brunello di Montalcino is a vintage that could have played out quite differently but was ultimately saved by underground water reserves leftover from the previous year's abundant rainfall. The 2015 growing season was quite hot, resulting in big-boned wines across the appellation, but not here. Thanks to fruit-thinning, earlier harvest times and other important farming decisions, this wine offers impressive finesse and length. It shows dark fruit, underbrush and even a hint of wild mushroom. However, you would have a hard time pegging this wine to the 2015 vintage because it feels much lighter and fresher compared to its peers. Harvest started the first week of September in 2015 and was completed quickly, within a week's time. Local tradition dictates that olives are picked after all the grapes have come off the vines, and winemaker Leonardo Berti says, "We start picking the olives when others are still picking grapes."

Pouring a dark red color, the 2015 Brunello Di Montalcino is more introverted on the nose at this stage, with notes of black cherry liqueur, wet stones, and hints of violets. Rich in texture, it leans toward being full-bodied but never feels weighted, with fleshy tannins, saline, a deep, earthy finish, and notes of black tea on the back palate. Drink 2026-2040.

The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino is bright and punchy, with a wickedly fresh burst of wild strawberries, dried roses, sage, mint leaf and crushed stones. This sweeps across the palate, lifted and refined, with silky textures ushering in perfumed red berry fruits as brisk acidity maintains a lovely inner freshness. It tapers off long yet with finesse, leaving inner florals that resonate over a staining of licorice and coating of fine tannins that add form without detracting from the 2015's forward personality. While already showing beautifully, there’s still plenty of upside potential here.