San Polino, Brunello di Montalcino, Riserva 2016

The purity and polish here shows wonderfully the moment you stick your nose in the glass, with complex aromas of plums, berries, cedar and violets. It’s full-bodied and ever so refined with elegant and intense tannins that take you deep into the wine. This is a thoughtful and finely crafted Brunello that needs time to show you its greatness. From organically grown grapes. Try after 2024.

San Polino’s Riserva is crafted from a south-facing plot at 450 metres. After spontaneous fermentation and a long 60-day maceration, this sees a short passage in barriques before long ageing in large Slavonian oak casks. It exhibits all the perfumed liquorice, curry and wild scrub nuances that a walk through the vineyard offers. It's dark fruited on the palate, where shaded woodland notes come to the fore and elegant, terracotta-like tannins give assertive mid-palate presence and structure. Then after all of that depth, the wine finishes with brightness and lightness. A gratifying ride that will gain even greater precision with time.

A dark bouquet of cherry and plum sauces mixed with clove and grapefruit peels creates a deeply alluring expression as the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva blossoms in the glass. This is pure elegance, rich and pliant, even polished in feel, as masses of mineral-tinged red berries flow across a core of vibrant acidity. The tannins arrive late, mingling with a coating of primary fruit concentration that leaves a classically dry impression, yet one of unrealized potential. The 2016 Riserva is geared for the cellar and sure to make fans of San Polino very happy once it reaches full maturity.