2009 Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Annata Tenuta Greppo

Wild herbs, sweet tobacco, sage, red cherries and fennel are some of the many notes that meld together in the 2009 Brunello di Montalcino Annata. Already quite soft in texture and nicely delineated in its flavors, the 2009 looks like a vintage that will drink well with minimum cellaring. This is one of the more intensely aromatic, layered Brunellos I can remember tasting here.

Just mid ruby with orange tinge. Wonderful coolness, spice and minerality and the beginning of sweet undergrowth. Elegant and really fine, but firm tannins. Cool, fresh and austere. For purists only. (WS)

The 2009 Brunello di Montalcino is a beautiful wine laced with ethereal balsam tones, licorice, cola, dark fruit and forest floor. The acidity is evident but well-integrated within the thick textural richness of the wine. It closes slowly and quietly with a surprising flurry of delicate floral notes that pop up at the end. This well-built wine will hold for many years. Drink: 2017-2030. Perhaps the most iconic image in Montalcino is that of the lanky Franco Biondi Santi walking, cane in hand, down the cypress-lined drive that leads to his beloved Il Greppo estate. It's painful to think he no longer exists in that tight corridor of shade between the trees. The Brunello pioneer died in April 2013, at 92 years of age. Today, the imposing figure who greets you past the tree line belongs to his son, Jacopo Biondi Santi. The legacy of this estate and the guardianship of Montalcino's most-prized wine tradition now rests squarely on his shoulders. "I'm not afraid to say it," Jacopo confides: "I'm daunted by the enormity of this responsibility." This conversation was the single most precious moment I experienced during my last trip to Montalcino. Like many others, I was concerned about the generational shift at Il Greppo. Dottore Biondi Santi did everything himself and who could ever take his place? More importantly: Would the wines change? My exchange with Jacopo and that glimmer of vulnerability assured me that Il Greppo would be just fine. Jacopo has made some small tweaks in the winery. Most notably he brought his bladder press over from Castello di Montepo to replace his father's traditional press. Otherwise, the Old World formality of the winery is exactly the same. Importer: Vision Wine & Spirits, www.visionwineandspirits.com