One of the unquestioned stars of the vintage, Cerbaiona's 2004 Brunello di Montalcino is every bit as impressive as it has always been. An intense dark red to the core, the 2004 boasts remarkable depth, power and richness. Today, the 2004 remains incredibly young and almost primary in its flavors. The 2004 captures all of the potential I sensed when it was a young wine. If anything, I may have underestimated it! Readers lucky enough to own the 2004 are in for a real treat, as it is an epic bottle.

Bright, saturated dark red. High-pitched, perfumed aromas of crushed raspberry, pungent minerality and rose petal. Silky, suave and refined, with lovely clarity and class to the pure flavors of crushed red berries and flowers. Not as big as the 2001, and more dominated in the early going by treble notes, but this is wonderfully sappy and insinuating wine with a superb rising finish. Its almost liqueur-like red cherry flavor is joined by deeper notes of leather and earth-plus a suggestion of exotic flowers-after extended aeration. A beauty, and now routinely one of the best Brunellos of each new vintage.