High-toned aromatics lead to a firm, taut expression of fruit in Costanti's 2004 Brunello di Montalcino. Wild herbs, red cherries, tobacco and flowers are just some of the nuances that emerge from this chiseled, traditionally-made Brunello. The wine possesses gorgeous length and finessed tannins that provide lovely balance. Today the wine is clenched and unexpressive, but it should come together in bottle. That said, numerous bottles of this Brunello have failed to deliver the magic I found when I tasted the wine from tank prior to bottling.

Bright medium red. Knockout nose suggests a wine of strong extract and extends one's Brunello vocabulary: cherry, peach pit, licorice, lead pencil, honey, jasmine, botanical herbs, you name it. Dry, classic and sharply delineated, conveying a strong impression of energy allied with great delicacy. This manages to be very ripe, broad and silky and at the same time virtually weightless. Finishes sweet, pliant, minerally and very long. With aeration, though, this shut down dramatically in my glass and showed a leathery element. One for the cellar.

High-toned aromatics lead to a firm, taut expression of fruit in Costanti’s 2004 Brunello di Montalcino. Wild herbs, red cherries, tobacco and flowers are just some of the nuances that emerge from this chiseled, traditionally-made Brunello. The wine possesses gorgeous length and finessed tannins that provide lovely balance. Today the wine is clenched and unexpressive, but it should come together in bottle. That said, numerous bottles of this Brunello have failed to deliver the magic I found when I tasted the wine from tank prior to bottling. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024.

My recent visit with Andrea Costanti was illuminating, as I had the opportunity to taste a number of lots of his Brunellos from cask and tank. At their best, these are some of the most elegant, refined wines being made in Montalcino.

The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino is mature yet still quite pleasurable, with leather and earth tones giving way to dried herbs and hints of spiced citrus. This is cool-toned in feel, with silky textures and a core of vibrant fruit. Mineral inflections lend complexity toward the close. The 2004 is so giving today, yet I don't see it improving much more from here. Nuances of soy and dried orange mark the finish. Tasted from two bottles with similar results.

A rich, broad palate of flavours here: tomato, earth, cherry, vanilla, violets, tannin that grips the mouth with gentle force and a funky cheesiness grated on top. Excellent. (RH)

Andrea Costanti's metronomic ability to deliver wines which reflect both his vineyards' terroir and the season has, in 2004, produced a classic Brunello whose suave tannins and sophisticated fruit combine in another of his little masterpieces, flavours melding into texture, and vice-versa. Drinking Window 2021 - 2035
Blind tasted by Monty Waldin (at Montalcino, 28 Oct 2020)
Part of Best Italian wines: A selection of the greatest