The Poggio di Sotto 2018 Brunello di Montalcino has a core of bright cherry fruit and baking spice that is surrounded by a ferrous note of iron ore or rust that is almost salty in taste. That metallic or saline quality plays out beautifully across abundant dark berry fruit. The wine is quite immediate and up front, but when you compare it to a cooler vintage like 2013, you see just how generous and full the bouquet is at this young age. That's a nice trait to have.

The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino continues to be an atypical wine for Poggio di Sotto, yet one that shouldn’t be missed. It’s savory with an herbal tinge up front, giving way to dried roses, strawberries, incense, exotic spice and worn leather. This is surprisingly juicy and lifted in style, with vibrant acidity propelling its tart wild berry fruits easily across the palate. A sour twang of cranberry resonates as the 2018 finishes lightly structured and long, leaving a staining of licorice that lingers on and on and on.

Certified organic by ICEA. Lustrous ruby. Savoury and with hints of raw meat and still quite embryonic and reductive. Needs lots of aeration to show gorgeous raspberry hints. On the palate, lush fruit with long, polished, yet chewy, tannins. Perfumed, sweet raspberry fruit follows through the finish. You get all of this, but only if you open the bottle literally hours earlier. (WS)