Good bright medium red. Rich aromas of raspberry, red cherry, licorice, sweet pipe tobacco and violet. Rich, layered and sweet, boasting superb definition and depth to its fleshy but vibrant red berry, sweet spice and licorice flavors. This big, broad, perfumed wine finishes with excellent clarity and floral lift. Another standout Brunello from this producer and easily one of the year's best. I'd enjoy it within the next ten years, but I suspect it has the structure to age for longer than that.

-- Ian D'Agata

– vinous.com, Jul 2014

The 2009 Brunello di Montalcino delivers a surprising high level of sophistication and complexity for the vintage with intermingled aromas of dried cherry, savory spice, cured meat, dusty earth and pressed blue flowers. At its essence, this wine represents a quintessential Sangiovese. The mouthfeel is somewhat contradictory, in a positive way, with sweet fruit flavors pitted elegantly against finely textured tannins. Drink: 2017-2026. Claudio Tipa of Coastal Tuscany’s Collemassari (and Bolgheri’s Grattamacco) is the new owner of the 12-hectare Poggio di Sotto estate since 2011. Although these wines were produced under the previous owner, the cantankerous Piero Palmucci, they happily pave the way for a new chapter at this iconic estate in the Castelnuovo dell’Abate subzone in the appellation’s southwest quadrant. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, www.kermitlynch.com

Very pale ruby. Crushed seashells on the nose and really minerally on the palate. Cherry fruit on the finish. A little bit too medicinal for my taste, but the finish is more fragrant with supple fruit. (WS)