Castello Banfi - Poggio all'Oro Riserva - Brunello di Montalcino

This wine is only produced in select vintages. The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio All'Oro is an exuberant and robustly embellished wine that gives ample airtime to its various constituents. The fruit, the spice, the structure and the freshness are all played up and ultimately find seamless integration to become one big happy whole. The bouquet is intricate and exciting, but I found the mouthfeel to be heavier and more astringent than I would have hoped. There's loads of volume and power here, and the wine's texture is very rich at this young stage. Give it a few more years to develop and soften. Out of the gate, I preferred the Riserva Poggio alle Mura, but that opinion could well shift as this wine gets the upper leg following prolonged aging." - Monica Larner