2001 Brunello di Montalcino

The estate's 2001 Brunello di Montalcino is a deeply-colored, sleek and stylish effort showing expressive notes of flowers, spices, toasted oak, minerals and underbrush along with a lovely core of perfumed sweet cherry fruit that blossoms onto the palate with irresistible sensuality. Intensely flavored yet delicate, this Brunello offers outstanding length, precision and balance. While it is hard to resist today, it will be even better in a few years. My most recent bottle was exceptional and I actually preferred this wine's overall balance to that of the 2000 Ugolaia. It is a great effort. Anticipate maturity

Bright, dark red. Cherry, plum, dried red berries, pepper, graphite and dried flowers on the nose. Sweet, dense and silky, but with good spine to its dark fruit flavors thanks to firm acidity. Complicated by slightly decadent suggestions of earth and smoke. Comes across as plump yet light on its feet. Substantial tannins are buffered by sweet fruit.