2016 Talenti Brunello di Montalcino

The 2016 Brunello has aromas of dried red cherry, tobacco, licorice, cedar, and baked earth. The palate has an approachable and silky structure with black plum, balsamic, and black tea. The wine displays an ease and generosity that makes this welcome to early drinking or over the next several years. Drink 2021-2030. Talenti is a third-generation family estate that is operated today by Riccardo Talenti near Sant’Angelo in Colle.

The Talenti 2016 Brunello di Montalcino is a balanced and symmetrical wine with bright red cherry on the one hand and pretty spice and balsam herb on the other. The wine pours from the bottle with dark color saturation and ruby highlights. It shows no signs of fading, and that bright color intensity is a common thread in this vintage. There is a good amount of Sangiovese acidity that reinforces the lifted and buoyant style achieved here. It ages in both tonneau and botte for 30 months. Production is 35,000 bottles.

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino boasts a striking display of balsamic-tinged cherry and autumnal spice with a twist of sour citrus really appealing to the senses. It’s silky and pliant with a gorgeous display of ripe red and hints of black fruit. There’s a sweet and sour element here that I find quite attractive, as the 2016 gains a tactile feel toward the close through a mix of brisk acids and rounded tannins. The length and classic structure on the finish completes the expression, leaving dark florals and mineral earth tones. Talenti remains one of the best values in age-worthy Brunello in the market. That said, it’s also worth checking in on a bottle early to enjoy all of its primary intensity.