2016 Poggiotondo Brunello

2016 Poggiotondo Brunello

2016 Poggiotondo Brunello, Sangiovese from Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy

Pretty plum and floral aromas with ash and rose stems. It’s full-bodied with chewy, polished tannins that are layered and minerally. Some cedar and sandalwood. It’s flavorful and very long. Give it three or four years to open and soften. Best after 2024.

94 James Suckling:Ripe-plum, cherry and peach aromas. Flowers, too. Medium to full body, creamy texture and a long and flavorful finish. Shows depth and intensity. Best ever from here? Drink or hold.

93 Wine Spectator: This expressive red starts out with forthcoming aromas of floral, cherry and berry, picking up notes of mineral and tobacco. Lean and dry on the finish, with a dusty feel to the outsized tannins. Best from 2023 through 2040.

Sangiovese: Among Italy’s elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.

Società Agricola Centolani is located in the heart of Montalcino, Tuscany, between Val d’Arbia and Val d’Orcia. The Peluso Centolani family bought it in 1979 as a hunting preserve, when it consisted of only 10 hectares. The owner, the lawyer Prof. Giovanni Peluso, is a passionate hunter and initially bought the property for his love of hunting and the Tuscan landscape, as the estate is located in one of the most beautiful areas of Montalcino.