2016 Brunello di Montalcino

The 2016 Brunello is lifted with dried raspberry, orange peel, thyme, and dusty earth. The palate is medium-bodied with fresh cherry fruit, Mediterranean herbs, and a saline mineral finish. The tannins are fine-grained with refreshing and balanced acidity. This red opened up and stayed fresh for days. Enjoy over the next 15 years, 2021-2036. La Poderina is located in Castelnuovo dell’Abate in the southwest and exhibits the refinement I have found in this area expressive of the 2016 vintage.

La Poderina's 2016 Brunello di Montalcino shows a lot of charm and grace, with a bouquet that is defined not so much by the ripeness of its fruit but by the many nuances hidden directly under the surface. The fruit shows lifted red tones with cherry and dried raspberry, but it also offers very precise minerality with crushed limestone and chalk that adds points of dustiness or dryness to the bouquet (and ultimately subtracts from the density of the mouthfeel). These lithe background tones shape what is fundamentally a very elegant, streamlined and pretty Brunello. I am very happy to recommend this new release (with 65,000 bottles to hit the market in March 2021) from La Poderina.

The 2016 La Poderina Brunello di Montalcino is unique yet also quite seductive. It wafts up from the glass with a bouquet that mixes crushed violets, graphite and white smoke with peppery herbs and currants. The textures here are velvety-smooth, creating an elegant expression but with a mix of salty minerals and round tannins which seem to coat the palate. Its fruits are more blue and purple than red, with a twang of exotic spices which resonates well into the structured finish. Frankly, I doubt I’d be able to call this Brunello in a blind tasting, yet it still has its qualities.