The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino is another superb Brunello from Il Poggione. The ripeness of the vintage meets a classic sense of structure as this bold, full-bodied wine takes shape in the glass. The 2006 doesn’t have the elegance or finesse of the 2004, instead it offers a decidedly more virile, masculine expression of Sangiovese. Dark cherries, tobacco, smoke and underbrush wrap around a wall of tannin as the finish builds to a majestic close. Il Poggione’s Brunello remains one of the best values in fine, cellar-worthy wine. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2036. Il Poggione is Montalcino’s fourth largest estate, with an eye-popping 125 hectares of Brunello designated vineyards, behind Banfi, Castelgiocondo and Col d’Orcia. My annual tasting spanned every wine in barrel from 2006-2010. I continue to be deeply impressed by the average level of quality father and son team Fabrizio and Alessandro Bindocci coax from these sites. Frankly, it is hard to go wrong with any of the Brunelli Il Poggione has put into bottle over the last few years. The straight Brunello remains one of the most reasonably priced, cellar-worthy wines in the world. The 2006s are rich, bombastic wines that will require patience to drop their baby fat. The Brunelli are fermented with a submerged cap and pumpovers, an approach that is unusual in Montalcino but common in Piedmont. My visit ended with a taste of the 1955 Brunello, which is still in great shape, even after all these years.Importer: Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604 8900

A fresh, elegant style, featuring cherry, blackberry and spice aromas and flavors, with a vibrant structure and well-integrated tannins. Hangs together beautifully through the long finish, which echoes fruit and tobacco. Best from 2013 through 2025. 4,000 cases imported. -BS

Thanks to 36 months of careful oak aging, this hearty Brunello opens with a dark, inky color, deep extraction and intense aromas of black cherry, chocolate, rum cake, cinnamon, mesquite and wet stone. Pair it with hand-made pasta and shaved black truffles.——M.L.(4/1/2011)—— 93