2010 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino

Mid ruby. Smells like red-fruit squash. Strawberry sweetness and blackcurrant fruit pastille. Texture is juicy but the tannins are quite thick, even though they are soft. I find it a little too much like a fruit sweet but it's certainly fresh and bright. The tannins are fine but there is a slight bitterness on the finish. (JH)

Medium red with some bricking at the rim. Appealing brightness on the nose but also some dungy farmyard character. Excellent combination of density and freshness of structure, but the flavours really are not together. Rather a bruised, mushroomy feel. (AH)

Altesino's 2010 Brunello di Montalcino stands proud among its peers. No other wine I tasted among the new releases in Montalcino achieves this unique level of aromatic finesse and distinction. The bouquet is almost purely floral in character with a strong emphasis on pressed rose petal, dried violets and potpourri. The fruit tones are less emphatic and include bright cherry and red currant. In the mouth, the wine's compressed texture is accented by fennel seed and licorice. the 2009 vintage had more power and heat, but this version shows elegant restraint.