2016 Brunello di Montalcino Ugolforte

Deep, dark red fruits and exotic spices give way to hints of menthol, flowery undergrowth and tobacco as the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Ugolforte unfolds in the glass. It’s silky-smooth and cool-toned with ripe woodland berries, hints of clove and blood orange. Fine tannins coat the palate, but energy remains high due to vibrant acidity, as this tapers off with a salty, almost silty minerality under rosy inner florals. The 2016 spent only six months in second-pass barriques before being completed in 30-hectoliter Slavonian oak for another 40 months. Retasting this wine with another year of bottle age was a total pleasure.

From a 20- to 25-year-old vineyard at between 250 and 400 m above sea level in Castelnuovo dell'Abate. Spontaneous fermentation in tronconic oak cask, aged for 42 months in 30-hl Slavonian oak casks. Lustrous ruby. Very youthful and tight yet clearly concentrated on the nose and with the merest hint of oak. Succulent and deep on the palate and with an imposing tannic structure that is quite demanding right now. Clearly built to age, which it needs. (WS)

The 2016 Ugolforte Brunello has aromas of black raspberry, violets, and dusty earth. The palate is inviting with ripe cherry fruit, licorice, dried herbs, and fine-grained tannins. This will certainly be a fun property to watch and there is an elegance to the 2016 that I feel is a wonderful introduction to the new ownership. Drink 2022-2035. 2016 marks the first vintage for San Giorgio to be taken over by ColleMassari Estates, where it is overseen by winemaker, Luca Marrone. San Giorgio sits on the shoulder of its sister estate, Poggio di Sotto, with notably different soil and character.