Brunello di Montalcino

This bottle had been purchased at the winery.  Deep ruby  in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, sandalwood, tea leaves and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great acidity.  On the palate, this seems at peak.  Complex and delicious.  Flavors of cherries, some black cherries, spice and char.  Long finish.  This is nice on its own but much better with food. Perfect with a plate of pasta.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

This is drinking well now at about at peak.  Garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, slight root beer, spice and forest floor.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  Tannins are resolved.  On the palate, this has depth and complexity.  Flavors of cherries, slight dried cherries and some earthy notes.  Good finish.  This needs food to come together.  A nice plate of your  favorite pasta would be perfect.  Drink over the next few years.

This is a traditionally styled BdM.  Wonderful vintage.  Garnet in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, tea leaves, sandalwood, and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Excellent acidity.  On the palate, this is  lively.  Flavors of cherries, spice, forest floor and slight earthiness.  Long finish.  This is nice on its own but really needs food to shine.  A plate of your favorite pasta would be great.  Drink over the next eight to twelve years.  

Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has black cherries, black raspberries, sandalwood and tea leaves.  Medium to full bodied.  Firm tannins.  This is young but reasonably accessible already.  On the palate, this is concentrated and deep.  Flavors of black cherries, slight anise and slight forest floor.  Long finish.  No harm drinking now but better to wait three to five years and then drink for ten to twelve after that.  A great match for Pasta Bolognaise.  

This is a solid Brunello that is at peak.  Ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, some black cherries, tea leaves and spice.  Medium bodied.  Tannins resolved.  On the palate, cherries with some forest floor.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  There is some complexity.  Better with food at this point.  A nice match with a plate of mushroom pasta.  Drink up over the next few years.  

Impressive showing for this wine which seems to be just getting close to peak.  Garnet in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, black cherries, dried cherries, forest floor and balsamic.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great acidity.  On the palate, this has layers of complexity.  Cherries, dried cherries, dried leaves, and spice.  Complex.  Delicious.  Long finish.  Lovely on its own, but better with food.  What's your favorite mushroom pasta dish?  It went well with a creamy mushroom pasta.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  

This seemed to be at peak.  Ruby in color with a touch of bricking, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, slight black cherries, some dried cherries, slight sandalwood and tea leaves.  Medium bodied.  A good backbone of acidity.  On the palate, some depth and complexity.  Flavors of cherries, sandalwood and char.  Nice finish.  This needs food to really shine.  It would work great with pasta or pizza and I enjoyed it with Eggplant Rotini.  Drink up.  

Very nice showing for this wine if on the young side.  Purple in color with ruby hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, anise, slight tea leaves, and a bit of char.  Medium tannins but smooth.  Full bodied.  Juicy acidity.  On the palate, ripe, black cherry fruit with some anise and smoke.  Long finish.  This is delicious.  Drinking well now and should continue for ten to fifteen more years.  It was excellent with Eggplant Rotini.  

Purple in color, mostly opaque and flat.  The nose is classic older BDM.  Black cherries, cherries, dust, tea leaves and dirt.  Still firm tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, black cherries with cigar/ash and some forest floor.  Very smooth texture.   Long finish.  At or just past peak but drinking quite well.  Drink over the next few years.  Great on its own, this would be better with food.  Pasta with a Bolognaise sauce would be good match.

From the excellent 2006 vintage, this seemed to be just about at peak.  Pop and pour.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is lovely with dark cherries, slight plums, tea leaves, dust and spice.  Full bodied.  Tannins about resolved, maybe some wispy ones left.  On the palate, cherries and black cherries with some dried fruits.  Complex and layered with forest floor/tea leaves and spice.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This drinks well on its own, but would work better with food.  A nice match would be a Lasagna.  Drink over the next five to ten years.