Le Chiuse's 2016 Brunello di Montalcino is a wine buzzing with energy and spirit. You sense this in the sheer crunch and snap of the primary fruit that recalls wild berry, cassis and sour cherry. Those lifted red fruit aromas are framed by light smoke, tar, potting soil, blue flower and crushed mineral or limestone. This is an extremely elegant wine that has been shaped by an epic vintage. The wine draws its fruit from an eight-hectare parcel with limestone clay. Le Chiuse's star is rapidly rising, and this new release from 2016 just thrust that shooting star into hyper speed. With 13,576 bottles made, this estate gives us one of the best buys of the vintage.

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino is an understated beauty of a wine that takes some time to come fully into focus. Patience is rewarded by a dazzling display of roses and violets, giving way to fresh-picked strawberries with a dusting of autumnal spice. This pure expression of Sangiovese fruit continues to impress with undeniable elegance, soothing and soft yet energized by brisk acids, taking on a decidedly salty note while still showing a mix of ripe berries. It’s so gentle yet full of character, tapering off to round tannins, primary fruit and inner florals. The 2016 Le Chiuse is full of potential but also deceivingly delicious today.

Hand-numbered bottle, bottle number 04554. Lustrous ruby. Beautiful, pure cherry nose with notes of wet stones. Pure, tangy and concentrated palate. Finely balanced with bags of ripe and grainy tannins. Stunningly elegant palate weight for the considerable fruit concentration. (WS)