You can lose yourself in the bouquet of the 2016 Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino. At one moment, the 2016 shows crushed cherries with autumnal spice; the next, it’s exotic florals and candied orange peels, and at another time flowery undergrowth, white smoke and wild berries. It’s unbelievably soft and pure, lifting the wine through saline-minerals, as sweet notes of cherry and raspberry begin to slowly saturate, yet what they leave behind is youthfully grippy tannins. With how structured the 2016 is today, it’s still enjoyable due to nervous acids and notes of sour citrus, which keep the expression fresh. The 2016 Poggio di Sotto Brunello is really a terrific effort and a classic in the making. EG

A chewy, dusty-textured red with lots of intense tannins and fresh blue fruit, as well as black cherries and some orange-peel undertones. It’s full-bodied and tight with firm tannins at the end. Closed. Give it another two or three years to come around. Try after 2023.

From one of my favorite vintages ever comes the Poggio di Sotto 2016 Brunello di Montalcino. What I love about this wine is that citrusy note of orange zest that appears so beautifully on the bouquet, giving it lift and energy. You also get dark fruit, cherry and a finely chiseled mineral note that comes from schistic galestro soils. With this vintage, the winemaking team started harvesting in phases as a way of mitigating any possible adverse weather conditions. In other words, some of the fruit is harvested early to avoid bad weather and some might be harvested later if weather conditions proceed nicely. This is a technique that the winery continues to practice today.

The beautiful 2016 Brunello di Montalcino possesses deep inner shine and a glossy nature that transcends the bouquet and the mouthfeel. The wine is redolent of dark plum and wild cherry, and those bright primary fruit tones descend into softer layers of rose hip and lavender sachet. The wine's acidity hits the palate with balanced determination and instantly livens up the senses. This classic vintage will be remembered for its length and pedigree. ML

It's such a pleasure to taste the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino from Poggio di Sotto; this is easily one of the wines of the vintage. Its bouquet is pure class, balsamic, exotic and spicy. A blend of dried orange and cloves gives way to sweet lavender and black cherries. Elegant and silky, yet with cooling acidity and depths of tart red berry fruits, the 2016 impresses further with a salty savoriness and a sense of sheer energy. It leaves a coating of dusty tannins and dark florals to resonate, displaying a youthful concentration slowly easing as traces of licorice fade through the incredibly long finish.

There is always something so recognisable and pure in Poggio di Sotto. The estate has made a great effort to preserve the genetic material of the vines, and the Sangiovese is a massal selection of its own biotypes. Aromas drip with ripe red cherry, Mediterranean herbs and white pepper. The fruit is sumptuous and very juicy – all raspberry and nectarine flesh. Beautifully weightless yet mouthfilling, it's racy and fluid with powdery tannins that cleanse the palate, and a lingering finish of orange blossom and tea. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2035
Tasted by: Michaela Morris (at Vancouver, 22 Mar 2021)
Part of Brunello di Montalcino 2016: vintage report and top wines

From several 20- to 25-year-old vineyards at between 200 and 400 m above sea level in Castelnuovo dell'Abate. Spontaneous fermentation in tronconic oak cask and aged for 40 months in 30-hl Slavonian oak casks. Bottled May 2020. Just mid ruby. Finely perfumed, minerally nose with touches of sweet raspberry and cherry. Compact palate of youthful sweet fruit. Stunning balance between embryonic sweet fruit, supple acidity and long, finely chiselled tannins. Real precision. (WS)