Aromas of bright red cherries and plums sit neat and pure. This has quite dense and neatly polished texture with a wealth of ripe red and black cherries pervading the finish. The tannins roll out seamlessly. Drink or hold.

Poggio al Vento is a gently sloping south-facing ridge at 300 to 350 metres above sea level. It sits on an ancient seabed, so the soil is very sandy and alkaline. The name translates as 'windy hill', referencing the constant sea breezes. Tasted next to the 2013 Riservas, this is a completely different beast. It's dripping with exuberant aromas of rich dark plum, warm baking spices, fennel and dried Mediterranean herbs. The palate still needs time to catch up, although there is plenty of concentrated fruit here and layers of ripe tannins in support. It finishes with an appetising salinity. Drinking Window 2023 - 2038
Tasted by Michaela Morris (at Chiostro Museo di Montalcino, 16 Feb 2019)
Part of Brunello Riserva 2013: 'A delectable study of terroir'

The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio al Vento is a monumental wine from this storied appellation in southern Tuscany. From a warm vintage, this is a deeply textured, rich and succulent rendition of Sangiovese. You taste the exuberant flavors of sun-drenched fruit. However, you also taste some evolution (remember, we are talking about a wine released seven years after the harvest) with tarry notes of toasted spice, licorice and Spanish cedar. This wine ages in large oak casks (of various sizes) for four years followed by an additional two years in bottle. We can look forward to more bottle evolution as the wine moves forward in time. Some 20,000 bottles were made.

Moderately saturated bright red-ruby. Raspberry, rose oil, sour red cherry, and Asian spices on the nose, with a note of cola gaining strength with air. Refined and concentrated at the same time, with sweet red berry, herbal and mineral flavors becoming fuller with air. Finishes with impressive energy and lingering red fruit and floral qualities that are nicely buffered by fine-grained tannins. Much less powerful but then again also more graceful than the 2010 Poggio al Vento. I also noticed this picks up considerable volume with air, so my suggestion is to decant an hour or two ahead, should you decide to pop a cork early. Lay this away.

Dusty cherry and leather are complemented by cedar spice box and sage as the 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio al Vento opens in the glass. It’s silky-smooth and smoky, with dark mineral-tinged red berries and sour citrus tones cascading across the palate. Grippy tannins linger long, and although this is structured, there’s a bit of early appeal here that should make the 2012 more enjoyable sooner than later, yet still excellent over the medium term. I’m loving it today, and I feel that extra time in bottle has really brought forward a greater sense of harmony. This is an excellent effort in a warm and dry vintage.