2004 Brunello di Montalcino

The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino captivates with a dusty bouquet of dried flowers, incense and hints of menthol and crushed black cherries. This is silky in texture and elegant in feel, offering a sweet-and-sour mix of wild berries and nuances of tart citrus energized by nervous acidity. A mix of salty minerals and adolescent tannins lingers through the incredibly long finale under an air of rosy florals and hints of licorice. The 2004 finds a beautiful place between richness of fruit, energy and structure, promising another 10–15 years of pleasure if sourced from a cold cellar.

Squeaky clean with beautiful blackberries, blueberries and fresh sandalwood. Full-bodied, linear and focused. Excellent freshness and focus. Long life ahead. Drink or hold.

Good deep medium red. Highly complex, slightly musky aromas of red berries, spices, minerals, incense, iron and graphite; quite Burgundian. Silky on entry, then sharply delineated and vibrant in the middle, with a sappy, rather imploded character suggesting more to come. This very young and structured wine finishes with excellent grip and slowly emerging notes of leather, chocolate, iron and underbrush. It's a shame that more 2004 Brunellos can't match this wine for clarity of flavor or back-end thrust.