The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio Abate flaunts a decidedly opulent and lavish personality. The wine is dark and heavy in appearance, with inky colors of black and ruby red. The bouquet opens to ripe tones of cherry or blackberry marmalade with pretty veins of spice and licorice woven deep within its fabric. The ripeness is very apparent (almost too much so), but the wine also offers an elegant mouthfeel that puts its various elements back into balance.