2020 Brunello di Montalcino Campo del Drago

Sourced from a small 1.5-hectare, single vineyard site in the Capanna area of Montalcino at 430 meters elevation, the 2020 Brunello Di Montalcino Campo Del Drago pours a jeweled ruby red color and takes things up a notch in terms of its structure. On the nose, it reveals layered and spiced notes of cinnamon, menthol, ripe red cherries, orange peel, and toasted cedar. The palate is salty and mouthwatering all the way through, with gripping ripe tannins, refreshing acidity, and a sustained finish. It demands a few years in the cellar time before drinking over the following 15 or more years. Drink 2027-2047.

At 450 metres above sea level, the 1.5ha Campo del Drago vineyard was among the estate’s last to be harvested, right at the beginning of October. As with the 2019 edition, ripe and healthy bunches allowed for 60% stem inclusion in 2020. Aromas are much more discreet than the estate's classic bottling, hinting beguilingly at medicinal herbs, roots and green tea. Round and ample, the palate is densely weighted with black brambly berries. This is almost ponderous but definitely not lacking in earthy depths, with grainy tannins bring textural complexity, and a stony accent piercing the core.

The Castiglion del Bosco 2020 Brunello di Montalcino Campo del Drago (with 10,000 bottles made) comes from a panoramic plateau of vineyards. The rich bouquet is shaped by dark fruit, tobacco, sauna cedar and campfire ember. The oak imparts spice, but it also lends a soft and fleshy quality to the wine. Despite the aromatic intensity on hand, the wine is leaner than expected in terms of mouthfeel. This is a trait I find across many of these new releases from 2020, although I expect we can count on these wines to put on more volume with bottle age.