Brunello di Montalcino, Le Ragnaie 2012

Fresh and clean fruit with hints of crushed raspberries and flowers. Medium to full body, firm and silky tannins and a bright finish. Clear and pretty. Precise. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink in 2017.

Silky and refined, featuring pure strawberry, cherry and floral flavors, with elements of leather, iron and leafy underbrush. The firm structure sneaks up on you as this builds to a long, detailed aftertaste. Very seductive. Best from 2020 through 2035. 2,200 cases made.

The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino displays ripe fruit aromas of cherry confit, blackberry preserves and prune. Like many Brunellos I tasted from the 2012 vintage, this wine definitely shows some of the heat of the vintage. But it does not take away from the wine's other assets. It opens to a beautifully saturated ruby color with darker tones at the back. The bouquet is rendered more complex thanks to delicate tones of grilled rosemary, crushed mineral, cola and dried ginger. This Brunello ages in oak for three years. Some 25,000 bottles are produced.