2018 Brunello di Montalcino

The Baricci 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli delivers a classic expression of Sangiovese from one of the best areas of the Montalcino appellation. I always love wines from Baricci, and I am very pleased to encounter the freshness and bright fruit flavors in this vintage that I associate with this estate. There is punchy cherry fruit, blueberry and lots of white stone or crushed mineral. The approach is accessible, and the tannins are soft straight out of the gate. Some 17,200 bottles were made.

The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino draws me in with a woodsy and balsamic bouquet, blending wild strawberries with flowery underbrush and hints of sage. This is soft yet potent, enveloping the palate with ripe textural fruits and sweet spice, as a staining of minerality and fine tannins settle in toward the close. A saturation of black raspberries and licorice is left to linger through the long and gently structured finale, giving way to pretty inner floral perfumes. There’s a beautiful harmony here, along with the balance needed for a long and steady evolution. Of note, while not stated in the name of the wine, the Baricci Brunello is a pure interpretation of Montosoli fruit.