2014 Brunello di Montalcino

The 2014 Brunello di Montalcino is delicate with a beautiful bouquet of crushed strawberries, cranberry sauce, licorice and rose. It flows across the palate with textures of pure silk, cooling and finessed, with fresh acidity and vividly pure red berry fruits elevated by violet inner florals and a tinge of spice. This leaves a tart cherry resonance and crunchy mineral tones to mingle with adolescent tannins, finishing with admirable length and a touch of sour citrus. It's a remarkable effort from a challenging vintage. Bravo.

I suppose I could see myself spending $100 for the current (2016) release of Poggio di Sotto’s Rosso di Montalcino, but I don’t foresee paying $300 for the 2014 Brunello di Montalcino. With a mere 4,000 bottles produced, this is a beautiful wine—there’s no doubting its quality. This is an elegant, albeit somewhat undertone, Brunello from a cool and slow vintage that did develop pretty aromas, but did little to create age-worthy structure or power. Overall, this is a near-term vintage to enjoy in a time frame that overlaps with the 2016 Rosso di Montalcino in my opinion. This Brunello offers dried cherry aromas followed by flint, crushed mineral and scorched earth.