The Poggio di Sotto 2017 Rosso di Montalcino is a terrific wine and one of a handful of Rossi that I can recommend for longer cellar aging. This Rosso is built like a Brunello and shows the qualities needed to further its evolution. In this 20,000-bottle release, those attributes include complexity, freshness and a solid, mid-weight structure. You hardly feel the heat of the vintage, save for those hints of extra richness and concentration that add to the wine's important and pleasurable mouthfeel. This is a terrific Rosso with the long-term perspective of its big brother Brunello.

The 2017 Poggio di Sotto Rosso di Montalcino will need some time to fully open up. The nose is reticent, requiring quite a bit of coaxing, before a bouquet of fresh sweet strawberry, cherry, Tuscan spice box, dusty florals and hints of mint lift from the glass. On the palate, soft textures flood the senses, offset by tart red fruits, minerals and spice, as the 2018 seems to hover - well poised, almost weightless, yet still fully satisfying. The finish is long and very pretty, as fresh red fruits resonate above a tactile mix of acid, minerals and light tannin, giving way to a singular red floral note that seems to go on for minutes.

Pale garnet colour. Plenty of floral fragrance and dry, savoury fruit. Bright acid, dry and dusty tannins with very bitter red fruit – classic stuff. Crying out for a boar ragu. On the light side, almost quite angular. Sharp elbows. The tannins really dominate the structure. (RH)