2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Franci
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I'm struggling with an intellectual battle that pits a preference for 2016 Brunello over 2015 Brunello Riserva. This wine adds a happy check in a tally for the latter. The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Franci is soft, yielding, broad and rich. The quality of the fruit is dark, fresh and pure with blackberry, wild cherry and plum. There are ample background notes of spice, tar, licorice and smoke. The wine delivers lasting balance and harmony. Make a note of the tannins that appear especially well integrated in this sunny vintage.
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Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
Eric Guido, Vinous
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The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Franci Riserva keeps you at the edge of the glass with a spicy and dark bouquet, as mineral-tinged black cherry gives way to sage, dried orange peels and red Indian curry. It’s elegant and velvety in the mouth, washing ripe, soothingly textural fruits across the palate. The density and concentration here is remarkable, but even more noteworthy is how perfectly balanced this remains throughout. A coating of round tannins and dried currants linger, yet the expression is still surprisingly fresh. This is a beautiful yet powerful expression of southern Montalcino. The Riserva is produced from the Franci vineyard, fermented in cone-shaped Garbellotto barrels and then aged in ten-hectoliter Slavonian oak for thirty-six months.