The 2001 Brunello di Montalcino Poggio alle Mura represents a noticeable step up from the regular bottling. It offers more expressive aromatics along with darker, riper fruit and a richly-textured, layered feel on the palate owing to its greater concentration. Pretty notes of tobacco, underbrush and minerals develop in the glass, and the wine finishes with more tannic clout than the regular bottling, suggesting a greater presence of new oak that will require a few years to integrate. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2021. Importer: Banfi Vintners, Glen Head, NY; tel. (516) 626-9200

Loads of blackberry and currant on the nose with hints of cooked fruit. Full-bodied, silky and refined with a beautiful structure and refinement. Goes on for minutes. Best after 2009. 7,500 cases made, 2,000 cases imported.??–JS??Region: Italy / Brunello di Montalcino Select to Add

Year after year, Banfi delivers the goods with confidence and character. It’s a vibrant, ruby-colored wine with cherry, plum, vanilla, coffee, wet slate and a strong mineral component offset by hints of green bean or rhubarb. A full, round wine with silky tannins that will flesh out further in 5–10 years. Imported by Banfi Vintners. ——W.E.(4/1/2006)—— 91