2012 Rosso di Montalcino

Freshly cut flowers, sweet red berries, mint, anise and tobacco lift out of the glass in the 2012 Rosso di Montalcino, a wine that brings together expressive aromatics and wonderfully translucent fruit, all supported by a classic sense of structure. This is a fabulous Rosso with tons of near and medium-term appeal.

The 2012 Rosso di Montalcino is representative of an estate that has always taken great care to safeguard this often overlooked relative of Brunello. Having said that, the 2012 does not quiet live up to the fabulous 2011 Rosso - a wine I found immensely enjoyable. This is a deep and nicely saturated Rosso with ripe notes of spice, dark cherry, blackberry and distant hints of smoked bacon that fill in the rear. It's relatively straightforward (it macerates on the skins for 15 days and later ages for 12 months in oak cask) with soft layers of fresh fruit. Drink: 2014-2018. Only a few brief moments into my winery visit with Francesco Ripaccioli, it was evident that I was looking the future of Brunello di Montalcino squarely in the eyes. This young man is the personification of a new generation of vintners and proprietors who will soon inherit this storied winemaking legacy. Francesco's confidence with languages, his clear understanding of his family's patrimony, and his deep commitment to the winemaking process makes him, like many others in his age group, an encouraging symbol of what will come. Importer: Vinifera Imports, www.viniferaimports.com

Mid ruby with broad orange-tinged rim. Quite stalky on the nose, but perhaps it is just reductive. Quite backward on the palate too and not really expressive. Locked up, reluctantly showing strawberry fruit aromas on the finish. A little hard at the moment, but has potential. (WS)