2013 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva

Just mid ruby. Intense and ripe marasca nose. Bags of ripe, sweet fruit contained by energetic acidity and a layer of crunchy tannins. Gorgeous balance and style. Enormously long, intense and yet contained. (WS)

Quite brashly pitched oak and spicy wood notes here. The palate has a thread of cedar and berry flavor and a herbal kick at the finish. Drink now.

Poggio di Sotto reaches lofty new heights with the 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. I spent a lot of time studying this wine and I tasted it at different intervals and from different bottles. Fruit ripened slowly over a long period of time over the course of this cool vintage, resulting in bright acidity and a firm tannic backbone. This wine follows the classic promise of traditional Brunello that, above all, softens and improves with age. This wine will meet those important goals. The bouquet offers evolved tones of dried cherry and crème de cassis with lovely spice, tar, licorice and balsam herb that culminate in increased complexity and persistence. I also taste some of the sharpness of the vintage, although it should subside with time. That point of tannic thorniness (that I associate with 2013) is the only thing preventing this wine from scoring even higher. Only 2,700 bottles were produced.