2007 Valdicava, Brunello di Montalcino

An impressively structured wine. Aromas of blueberries and blackberries with hints of violets. Full body with velvety, rich tannins. Very tannic and powerful, yet the tannins are polished and pretty. Layers of everything here. Give this another three to four years before opening.

The 2007 Brunello di Montalcino is gorgeous. Dark red cherries, plums, spices, leather and tobacco wrap around the palate as this dense, powerful wine starts to open up. Expressive aromatics are woven throughout, giving the 2007 a measure of polish and sophistication that is not always present in this wine when it is young. Finessed, suave tannins reinforce an impression of elegance. The 2007 can be enjoyed with minimum cellaring, but it will also age gracefully for many years. Readers who want to try the 2007 today should give the wine plenty of air, as the more refined qualities only emerge over time. When tasted next to the 2006, the 2007 shows redder tonalities of fruit and less sheer muscle. Hints of tobacco, crushed flowers and spices wrap around the sensual finish.

The 2007 Brunello di Montalcino from Valdicava offers dark berry fruit, hawthorn and loamy scents on the nose, a little introspective in style but opens with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, a touch of balsamic infusing the red fruit, dark cherry and boysenberry. It’s a bit tight on the finish suggesting that it may well benefit from another couple of years in bottle.

Bright, dark red with ruby highlights. Slightly high-toned aromas of cassis, blueberry, licorice and menthol, plus a whiff of leather; I would probably have picked this blind as cabernet. Superconcentrated, dense and powerful, with a penetrating character and excellent energy to the youthfully medicinal flavors of dark berries, black cherry, spices and menthol. This firmly tannic, structured wine is not my idea of sangiovese but there's no denying its intensity. Lay it down for at least four or five years.