Classic Brunello from a stellar vintage. Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright. The nose opens quickly showing cherries, cranberries, sandalwood, and slight tea leaves. full bodied. Strong backbone of acidity. On the palate, cherries with slight black cherries. Firm tannins.
This is a big, modern-styled Brunello that is absolutely delicious. Purple in color with some ruby swirls, clear and bright. The nose is powerful with black cherries, baking spices, cedar and slight tea leaves. Full bodied. Nice acidity. Firm tannins. On the palate, black cherry fruit with some spice/oak. Wonderful texture. Long finish. This is not yet at peak but close. As the oak and tannins integrate, this may yet improve even more. That said, no harm drinking now. It drinks well on its own and will work well with bigger foods. Osso Buco would be a great choice.
Ruby to deep ruby in color, clear and bright. The nose is nice with cherries, tea leaves, some baking spice and roasted herbs. Great texture; juicy but plush. Full bodied. On the palate, cherries, black cherries over spice and charred herbs. Good acidity. Complex and deep. Long finish. This seems to be just on the younger side of peak. Very tasty. It should drink well for the next twelve to fifteen years. A nice match with Lamb Ragout.
This is a big, modern styled Brunello. It is also outstanding. Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is nice with cherries, forest floor, sandalwood and chocolate. Full bodied. Firm tannins. On the palate, plenty of oak coming off as spice and chocolate but plenty of cherry and black cherry fruit. This bottle is still youthful but getting close to maturity. Depth. Delicious. Nice finish. This drink great on its own and need some heavier food right now. Short ribs with Polenta seems like it would work well. Drink over the next ten to twelve years.
Very nice showing for this wine. It has the reputation (fueled by its 15% abv?) of being a bruiser but at this stage in its life, showed plenty of refinement. Ruby in color with some purple swirls, clear and bright. The nose is nice with cherries, slight sandalwood, slight tea leaves and an interesting rosemary note. Medium to full bodied. On the palate, cherries, slight black cherries, hint of soy with a bit of char. Medium tannins. Good acidity. Long finish. This may still improve but either way has another ten to twenty years left of good drinking. It drinks nicely on its own b
This is Sangiovese from the excellent 2016 vintage. Garnet in color, clear and bright. The nose has cherries, tea leaves and spice. Medium bodied. Good acidity. Light tannins. On the palate, this has nice cherries with slight sour cherries and a hint of forest floor. Some anise on the long finish. This wine is meant for food. A plate of pasta with marinara sauce would be great. Drink over the next five years.
This Super Tuscan is a blend of 80% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Cabernet Franc. Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright. The nose is great with cherries, chocolate, dust, black cherries, spice and tobacco. Full bodied. Juicy acidity. Great plush texture. Firm tannins. On the palate, black cherries, char some forest floor notes. Young but complex and deep. Delicious. This is great on its own but even better with food. It worked well with mushroom ravioli. It certainly can be drunk now and for the next twenty years.
This is a blend of 34% Sangiovese, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 33% Merlot from Tuscany. Deep garnet in color, mostly clear and bright. The nose has cherries, dust, tea leaves, black cherries and coffee grounds. Nice texture. Firm tannins. On the palate, black cherries and cherries with some underlying forest floor. A bit of heat on the finish. This is a wine that drinks easy right now but should develop some complexity with a bit of age.
This is the basic Brunello in Altesino's line-up. Drinking well right now. Deep ruby in color, clear and bright. The nose takes some time to open, then shows cherries, tobacco, some forest floor and slight chocolate and spice. Medium bodied. A nicer backbone of acidity. On the palate, there is some depth here with vibrant cherries and underlying dust and fresh tobacco. Nice finish. This is drinking well with just a bit of air. Moderate tannins. It works better with food and past with Bolognaise sauce would be great. Drink over the next seven to ten years. $75 purchased at a tren
A nice, Chianti, this is 80% Sangiovese and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is nice with cherries, black cherries, forest floor and some anise. Medium bodied. Nice acidity. On the palate, cherries and black cherries. Moderate finish. This is drinking well now and should continue for the next five to eight years. It works better with food, pasta with meatballs or mushrooms would be a nice choice.
