The 2011 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva performs very nicely in this vintage. Despite the 2011 summer heat, this Riserva keeps it together with a plump, ripe and succulent approach. The wine's texture is thick and juicy with bold fruit flavors, spice, leather and tobacco. Yet, there is no heaviness. The finish shows just the right level of acidity to add freshness and zest. It offers moderate complexity, but a steady approach overall.

Earthy, warm and bursting with autumnal aromas, the 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is the kind of wine you'll want to pair with porcino mushroom risotto or steak with cream and peppercorn sauce. This wine presents inherently food-friendly qualities that underlinse the best aspects of Tuscany's proud Sangiovese grape. The acidity is balanced. This Brunello delivers some grittiness in terms of texture and it closes with a bold array of dark fruit, spice and toasted almond flavors.

The 2009 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is the nicest wine presented by Tenuta Vitanza this year. This expression definitely shows its oaky side but that new oak style (French tonneaux primarily) is characteristic of this estate located in the Torrenieri subzone that makes some of the darkest and most extracted expressions of Brunello regardless. Dark fruit, prune, plum, cherry, spice, cedar, cardamon and grilled herb all compete for your attention. The ensemble is bold, opulent and rich in a way that most other Brunello wines are not. There is a note of sourness on the tannins. Every once in a while you need a supersized Brunello to pair with that T-bone steak you crave.

The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva flows with black cherries, tobacco, leather, licorice and tar. This is an especially powerful, brooding Brunello with massive tannin and a chunky, four-square personality. Big, mouth -coating tannins reappear on the finish. Vitanza gave the 2006 Riserva 36 months in French oak casks. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2022. Importer: Vintners Estates Direct Importing, Healdsburg, CA; tel. (707) 433-8488