2016 Brunello di Montalcino Altero

If you have visited the site that gives birth to this wine, it's impossible to forget the view. This is one of the only (maybe the only) vineyard in Montalcino from which you can see the twinkle of light that reflects off the Tyrrhenian Sea in the far distance. That altitude, exposure and open panorama shapes the very elegant Poggio Antico 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Altero. Specifically, the fruit comes from Il Vignone, located in the I Poggi area, at 500 meters in altitude (very high for Montalcino). Il Vignone measures just under five hectares and sees loose, well-draining soils. The wine reveals dark fruit intensity and concentration with black cherry, plum and tilled earth. There's a tangy hint of tilled earth or dried lilac as well. The character of this wine is more robust for sure, but that elegance that we saw in the classic Brunello is also present here. Production is 10,000 bottles.

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Altero from Poggio Antico is an unapologetically fruit-forward and oak-influenced effort. Crushed blackberries, currants, plums and balsamic spices find lift through mentholated herbal tones. It’s medium-bodied and velvety in texture, with stimulating acids to contrast its weight, showing ripe red/black fruits offset by sour citrus. The palate aches with youthful tension throughout the cheek-puckering finale, leaving hints of cedar and tobacco. A short stay in the cellar may help add a little more balance here, but the 2016 Altero simply seems to be a little too big for its own good.