Il Poggione, Brunello di Montalcino, Vigna Paganelli Riserva 2015

This single-vineyard Riserva delivers a generous, abundant and determined personality. This is Brunello with a capital B. The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Paganelli benefits from a warm and sun-soaked microclimate that is shielded from cold winter winds. You can taste the good health of the grapes thanks to those very direct aromas of black cherry, plum, tar, campfire ash and chalky mineral. The Paganelli vineyard is 12 hectares in size, with vines planted in 1964. The last time this wine was made was in 2012. Fruit from those old vines shape complex aromas, elegant tannins and bright freshness. Despite that handsome DNA, this is another new release from Il Poggione that will require more cellar age. I'd suggest drinking a bottle from this 40,000-bottle release after the 10-year mark.

The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Paganelli Riserva from Il Poggione keeps you at the edge of your seat, with a gorgeous display of herbal-tinged black cherry, sweet white smoke, cedar and cloves. The textures are silky and polished, as this coasts effortlessly across a core of salty minerals and bright acids, taking on a decidedly savory, umami note. There’s simply so much going on and so much to like about the 2015 Riserva, as balsamic spice, hints of wild herbs and tobacco form up toward the close over a coating of classically fine tannin. Tasting the 2015 Riserva, you could easily forget that it hails from a ripe vintage. This needs five or more years to unwind and should then excel for well over a decade in our cellars. Tasted twice and over the course of two days.

Blackberry and blueberry aromas with black truffle and lavender that follow through to a full body with a very fine, compact palate of ripe, refined tannins. It is a lovely wine to taste now, but will be even better in a year or two. Excellence here. Drink or hold.

Vigna Paganelli is the estate’s oldest vineyard planted in 1964, and the wine was aged for over 40 months is large French oak of various size. The 2015 Vigna Paganelli Riserva is rich with cola aromatics, licorice, and black cherry. There is a concentrated core of fruit, with vanilla and cedar. The structure is persistent with grippy tannins and acidity that perseveres through the darkness of the fruit. This is a luxurious wine that will need time to unravel and soften. Hold in the cellar for 3-6 years and enjoy 2024-2042.

Vigna Paganelli sits on an alluvial terrace at 200 metres above sea level boasting vines that are now over 50 years old. In 2015, the plot was harvested on 23 September and, as always, was aged in large French oak casks. Expressive scents of dark plum and baking spice emerge swiftly from the glass. This is powerfully fruited, full-figured and expansive. Accents of tar, leather and a pop of scorched orange peel add abundant intrigue. The tannins are smooth but teeth-coating and could do with some time to retreat. This promises much pleasure for years to come.