Il Poggione, Brunello di Montalcino, Vigna Paganelli Riserva 2012

Rather sweet due to the super ripe vintage. But there's also great subtlety, enormous depth and a ton of tannin behind the opulence. The super long finish is incredibly focused. Try to wait until at least 2020. This stunning Brunello has decades of life ahead of it.

Here's a beautifully rich and succulent Brunello that drinks very nicely straight out of the gate. The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Paganelli delivers a warm, inviting and velvety presentation. This bold wine is redolent of black cherry and dried blackberry with sweet almond, toasted spice and balsam herb on the long finish. What stands out most, however, is the wine's rich texture that floods the mouth from front to back. That richness is fueled by the warmth of the vintage but also by the magnificent oak integration. This Riserva is aged in botti grandi for four long years. Bottle production is 45,000 strong.

Deep red. Sweet spices, ripe red cherry and licorice on the broad nose. Rich, ripe and suave, showing insidious sweetness to the red cherry and herbal flavors, this big wine is balanced enough to hide its 15% alcohol very well. Less graceful than the 2013 Brunello from Il Poggione, but that has mostly to do with the hotter 2012 vintage.