Wow. Incredible purity and transparency with cherries, bark, mushroom, flower and slate/stone on the nose. Full-bodied yet agile and fresh with a fine tannin structure that runs the length of the wine and goes on forever. The polish, elegance and grace is breathtaking. Power with agility. A revelation for the 2016 vintage in Brunello. Drink in 2024 and onwards but wonderful to taste now.

There are a handful of wines in Italy that make me nervous before I taste them because my expectations are so high. This is one of those wines. Indeed, previous editions of Cerretalto have earned the coveted 100 point score, and I am astutely aware of the pedigree and potential that comes forth with each new vintage. This is a beautiful Brunello that boasts deep intensity and bold black fruit flavors that are plummy and rich. Spice, toasted oak and tobacco frame that primary fruit. Cerretalto ages in oak for 30 months and that strong imprint has added to the structure, depth and contemporary character of this A-list Brunello. That oak imprint is also reinforced in the wine's tannins. There's no doubt that this wine needs more cellar aging. I would absolutely not suggest drinking it within the next five years. Any awkwardness it shows now should iron itself out with more bottle time.

This has incredible energy and depth, with a tight, firm and powerful tannin frame that is present throughout. Full-bodied with a deep core of dark fruit, slate, minerals and iron. Oyster shells, porcini, licorice and some cedar, too. More closed than the 2015. Great wine. Try this after a couple of years. It will last for decades.  Second tasting.

Casanova di Neri breaks out in a whole new direction with this wine named after Giacomo Neri's father (and also his oldest son). The 2020 Rosso di Montalcino Giovanni Neri embraces a more lifted, punchy and—if pressed—"traditional" take from a vintner known for his passionate desire to shake up Montalcino tradition. This hot-vintage expression is almost raw, natural and even somewhat carbonic in presentation and taste. I'm not positive this is intentionally or the result of the very hot 2020 growing season with ripe fruit that proved difficult to manage in the winery. This Rosso exhibits plenty of black fruit, but it also closes with unusual aromas of crushed white pepper, licorice and cherry cola. It shows more darkness and fruit weight compared to your standard Rosso, though.

The 2018 Pietradonice, a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon from the south-east of Montalcino, is dark as it grumbles up from the glass, showing dusty rose, currents, cherries and smoke. This is velvety in feel yet wonderfully lifted and fresh, steadily building in tannic heft yet packed full of graphite-like mineral-tinged black fruits and dark inner florals. A hint of sour citrus keeps you coming back for more even as the Pietradonice flexes its structural heft. Give the 2018 five to seven years before attempting to enjoy the full potential buried within.

This is one of my all-time favorite Brunellos, and although personal tastes are fluid and may change from time to time, there is something timeless and solid about this wine. It's like a touchstone. The Casanova di Neri 2017 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova is graced with a similar interlude of elegant rose or crushed flower that we saw in the annata wine. It appears more prominently here, and with more shape and focused intensity. Make no mistake, Giacomo Neri builds wines for pleasure and sensual impact, and this wine (helped by a hot growing season and 15% alcohol) ticks all those boxes. But it also shows floral elegance and sour cherry freshness that defies our expectations of the vintage.

The 2017 Brunello di Montalcino Cascina Nuova lifts up with a layered display of peppery herbs, musky plums, black raspberry, crushed stone, tobacco and smoke. It’s silky yet juicy, pliant and staining to the senses, offering violet and lavender tones balanced by cooling acids and hints of candied citrus. The 2017 really plays with the palate; it’s spicy, long and intense, and lightly structured yet classically dry. Balsamic herbs, salted licorice – it goes on and on like a spice box menagerie. An elegant pleasure bomb.