Brunello di Montalcino, Poggio Di Sotto 2013

The 2013 Brunello di Montalcino is downright gorgeous. The wine is inward-looking at the very beginning, but it quickly revs up to deliver soaring intensity and profound elegance. It goes from first to sixth gear in seconds and grabs all your attention and admiration in the process. The bouquet reads like a textbook Sangiovese, with wild berry, rose hip, pressed violets, cola, balsam herb, licorice and cigar ash. The bouquet underlines the wine's enormous finesse and pedigree, but the mouthfeel is all about frankness, directness and power. This is a naked and pure Brunello that glows bright with confidence and pride.