2004 Brunello di Montalcino

Costanti's 2004 Brunello di Montalcino remains fresh, vibrant and finely-cut, with veins of tannin and salinity that give the wine its energy. Stylistically, the 2004 is less opulent than the Riserva, but it has a little more tension and drive. Rose petal, mint, orange peel and sweet red berries flow through to the intense finish. The 2004 is just entering the early part of what is likely to be a very long drinking window. After an extended wait, the 2004 finally shows the pedigree that was so evident in tank.

Bright medium red. Knockout nose suggests a wine of strong extract and extends one's Brunello vocabulary: cherry, peach pit, licorice, lead pencil, honey, jasmine, botanical herbs, you name it. Dry, classic and sharply delineated, conveying a strong impression of energy allied with great delicacy. This manages to be very ripe, broad and silky and at the same time virtually weightless. Finishes sweet, pliant, minerally and very long. With aeration, though, this shut down dramatically in my glass and showed a leathery element. One for the cellar.

High-toned aromatics lead to a firm, taut expression of fruit in Costanti's 2004 Brunello di Montalcino. Wild herbs, red cherries, tobacco and flowers are just some of the nuances that emerge from this chiseled, traditionally-made Brunello. The wine possesses gorgeous length and finessed tannins that provide lovely balance. Today the wine is clenched and unexpressive, but it should come together in bottle. That said, numerous bottles of this Brunello have failed to deliver the magic I found when I tasted the wine from tank prior to bottling.