Brunello di Montalcino, Giodo 2016

Seamless is a great way to describe this red wine with intense aromas of plums, cherries, walnut and sandalwood. Some lightly toasted oak, roses and lavender as well. Really aromatic. The palate is full and extremely polished with super fine tannins that go on for minutes and spread across your palate. A great wine, following the perfect, 100-point 2015. Better to start drinking this after 2023.

Upon meeting Carlo Ferrini for the first time some 15 years ago, I remember vividly when he described himself as a Sangiovesista, or an adherent of the school of Sangiovese. Many years later, and perhaps to cement that self-appointed moniker, the wine consultant has now settled in Montalcino, or the ultimate holy ground to Sangiovese. Ferrini has embarked on his Giodo estate (with beautiful vineyards and a newly inaugurated winery built precisely according to his technical specifications and wishes), creating his own temple to the mighty Tuscan grape. As a consultant, Ferrini has endured many stylistic transformations over the years, but the personality embraced in his 2016 Brunello di Montalcino celebrates varietal purity, balance and elegance, and I write those words free of hyperbole. Delicate forest berry fruits open to spice, forest floor and balsam herb. The wine presents a pretty wave of freshness, followed by firm tannins and enough fruity texture to smooth over the palate. This is a career-defining wine for this proud Sangiovesista. Production is 10,000 bottles.

The 2016 Giodo Brunello di Montalcino is darkly alluring with a slightly rustic feel that adds further sultry depths. A whiff of crushed stone and sage gives way to black raspberry with an underpinning of white pepper in a display of contrasts. It’s silky in texture with a polished feel to its ripe red fruits, motivated by juicy acids, while taking on notes of licorice and spice. Round tannins complete the expression, providing classic grip without slowing the wine’s progression and leaving hints of spiced orange to linger. Giodo’s 2016 won’t require years of cellaring to show its best, yet it will offer a long and open drinking window.

This was my first bottle from Giodo and I hope not the last. The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino needs a few minutes to shake off a metallic veil, then reveals enticing scents of black cherries, shoe polish, white pepper and hints of fennel. The palate is well balanced with saturated tannins, its acidity neatly countering its intensity. It develops a velvety texture as it opens in the glass. Light allspice notes, Seville oranges and clove define the finish. Though not the most complex Brunello I have ever drunk, it is well crafted and at ten years, will probably benefit from another two or three in bottle. Tasted at Trinity restaurant in London.