I’m not sure how Il Poggione manages to remain one of the largest producers of Brunello, maintaining such a high level of quality and turning out some of the best wines of the vintage year after year - but they do. The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino is yet another stunning example. Depths of mineral-encased black cherries, sage, allspice, licorice, tobacco and crushed violets lift up from the glass. It’s seamlessly silky, even as the palate is peppered with tart red and black berries, nervous acids and savory exotic spices. This shows the density and weight of the vintage in a youthfully monolithic stance, yet with all the necessary components to maintain perfect balance. The 2016 Il Poggione seems to fold in upon itself through the finish, which is dark, mysterious and structured, with only hints of black tea and licorice to tempt the imagination. It’s a classic in the making. Eric Guido

A red with blackberry, cherry, some walnut and chocolate, as well as mahogany. Tea, too. It’s full-bodied and firm-tannined with beautiful length and depth. Linear and very fine. Drink after 2024.

A classic from the first tilt of the glass, the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino wows the senses with a pleasantly old-school bouquet of leather, earth tones, dried flowers, crushed cherries, sage and clove. This mixes radiant dark red fruits with sweet spices and salty mineral tones to create a display of contrasts, all over a silky textural wave that’s guided by vibrant acidity. Youthfully tense yet spicy with an orange flourish and amazingly fresh, the 2016 finishes with a tart tinge of youthful tension and fine-grained tannins that will require patience to resolve. This is, without a doubt, one of the vintage's top wines. The 2016 is total class.

The Il Poggione 2016 Brunello di Montalcino opens to a medium dark appearance with pretty Sangiovese shine and a little ruby sparkle. This vintage shows a slightly untamed or wild side with a dense and heavier fruit profile. The focus here is on blackberry, dried cherry, tobacco and even a touch of smoky tobacco or horse saddle. The wine shows the firm grip and tannic backbone that is a common trait in this vintage, especially with the vineyards on this southern, sunlit side of the appellation. I also get a considerable flash of acidity on the close, almost too much, that certainly needs a few more years to soften. You really need to wait with this one. Production is an ample 200,000 bottles.

Lustrous ruby. Savoury, meaty and brooding. Still quite closed. With aeration stony minerally notes emerge. Bags of sour-cherry and raspberry fruit in perfect balance with the finely chiselled tannins. Mouth-watering, long and focused. (WS)