2018 Talenti Brunello di Montalcino Piero

This is a relatively new addition to the Talenti portfolio. The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Piero has more—but not much more—textual richness compared to the Brunello annata. That extra intensity is applied to all the right places both in terms of aromas and mouthfeel with extra padding here and aromatic accents there. The bouquet is laced with dark fruit, spice and grilled herb. Like the Brunello annata, this wine shares an accessible, medium-term drinking window in this vintage. Piero is a limited production of 4,000 bottles and fruit comes from a two-hectare site at a cool 400 meters above sea level.

One of the standouts of the vintage, the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Piero starts out dark and understated in the glass, slowly coming to life with an array of dusty rose, dried strawberries, crushed plums, smoke and hints of fresh mint. It’s velvety-smooth and potent on the palate, showing admirable weight for the vintage, yet also refinement, as wild berry fruits are carried across a core of brisk acidity, and inner violet florals form toward the close. The 2018 finishes with a bitter tug of sour citrus and tart currants, yet it maintains a fresh personality, as grippy tannins linger around the perimeter of the palate, and hints of lavender slowly fade.

Deep ruby with bricky rim. Brooding sweet-sour cherry with hints of cinnamon sticks. Lush sour-cherry palate with bags of finely ground, yet firm, tannins. Great balance, substance and length and with subtle oak management. (WS)