Brunello di Montalcino, Cerbaiona (Molinari) 2010

The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino is every bit as thrilling as it was on the many occasions I tasted it from barrel. Black cherry, hard candy, plum, rose petal, menthol and lavender saturate the palate in a sumptuous, racy Brunello endowed with magnificent depth and pedigree. An utterly stunning, sensual wine, the 2010 constantly changes in the glass as it conquers all the senses with an exotic kaleidoscope of aromas, flavors and textures. I remember tasting the 2010 from cask a few years ago when Diego Molinari was too unwell to go down to the cellar. Nora Molinari tasked me with essentially serving myself as we went from vintage to vintage and cask to cask. For days after, I was mortified that I might not have closed some of the spigots tightly enough. Fortunately, that was not the case. In all of my years tasting the wines of Montalcino, I have only come across two wines with this level of textural unctuosity and sweetness; Gianfranco Soldera's 1983 Brunello and 1990 Riserva. Cerbaiona's 2010 Brunello di Montalcino will leave readers weak at the knees. It is every bit that profound.

The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino is an absolutely distinctive wine and one unlike this producer has ever released. It feels radically different in terms of concentration, intensity and complexity. I was blown away by the beautiful and profound sense of inner harmony on display here. The wine puts on an epic showing of aromas that span from the simple ripe cherry and blackcurrant to the most ethereal tones of balsam herb, root beer and licorice. In between, are hearty aromas of cured tobacco and smoked meat. It really has it all along the entire Sangiovese spectrum. In the mouth, the wine offers similar complexity with thick extraction backed by sweet and sour layers of fruit and tannic structure. If you are looking for outstanding Brunello, look no further. This is one of the top three wines of the vintage. Drink: 2017 - 2035

Diego Molinari and his team have produced one of the finest wines ever to emerge from this historic property in Montalcino. Cerbaiona with its sloped vineyard sites and historic basement winery has shown a deft ability to capture the beauty of the 2010 vintage. Its traditional winemaking approach allows ample room for varietal expression and this a common thread that unifies the greatest wines on release now.