This family-run estate makes an excellent Brunello from its 15 hectares of vineyards in the Canalicchio zone of Montalcino. I recently had the opportunity to taste several vintages of the Brunello, which was a great opportunity to assess recent vintages as well as glean some insights into how the wine ages. From vintage to vintage the wine showed its characteristic notes of scorched earth and ripe dark fruit. With a few years of bottle age the wines often begin to display attractive, heady white truffle overtones. The house favors cask-aging for its Brunello and the wines are made in a fairly traditional style. The medium- to full-bodied 2001 Brunello di Montalcino is rich, plump, and bursting with flavor, showing subtle, delicately woven notes of earthiness, tobacco, smoke, minerals and plenty of dark cherry fruit supported by firm yet fine tannins. It is sure to improve with a few years of cellaring but it is quite impressive even today. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2021. Importer: Vinifera Imports, Ronkonkoma, NY; tel. (631) 467-5907

Aromas of blackberry, cherry and lightly toasted oak follow through to a full-bodied palate, with fine and silky tannins and a long finish. This is tight and structured. Needs time in the bottle. Best after 2008. 1,690 cases made, 845 cases imported.??–JS??Region: Italy / Brunello di Montalcino Select to Add

This wine takes its sweet time to open but once it does, you’ll get tart cherry, cedar, tobacco, coffee bean, violet and vanilla. Firm, chewy tannins back a bitter note and dusty minerality in the mouth. Imported by Vinifera Imports. ——W.E.(4/1/2006)—— 88