Best Value Brunello 2020

From six parcels blended after fermentation in cement and aged in 30- to 50-hectolitre oak casks, the 2020 estate Brunello is an absolute charmer. Exotically scented, it leads with spiced persimmon, arbutus bush and heady lavender. Hints of sea and sand are redolent of the not-so-faraway Tuscan coast. Appetising and accessible, the palate is packed with glossy, almost candied fruit, and there is a fullness of flavour without being heavy. Fine, powdery tannins dissolve fluently, exposing a juicy core of succulent blood orange. Impossible not to like.

Here's a nicely balanced Brunello that boasts bright cherry fruit intensity despite the many years of cellar aging required by the appellation. The Argiano 2020 Brunello di Montalcino offers a robust layer of red and purple berry fruits along with soft spice, grilled herb and sweet potting soil. There is a slightly botanical element to the wine with green herb and dried lavender. The wine is made with fruit from old and new vines, ranging in age from 12 to 55 years old. The tannins are very fine-grained, and the acidity is present to good effect but is not too sharp. This is an ample 104,000-bottle release.

The 2020 Brunello di Montalcino is decidedly savory and intense, with notes of tobacco, wilted violets, dusty earth and ashen stones. It flows across the palate with ease, drenched in primary concentration, soft-textured and round, offset by a core of tart wild berries. A tinge of spice slowly saturates the nose toward the close, tapering off staining and long, with a balanced tannic inflection that promises many years of balanced maturation.

Concentrated mid ruby with orange tinges. Savoury rather than fruity and with brooding concentration. Aromatic sweet-sour, cherry-fruit palate lined with grainy deep tannins. Long and tactile. Can age. (WS)