Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Phenomena, Sesti 2009

The 2009 Brunello di Montalcino Phenomena is super-expressive today. Hints of orange peel, tobacco, smoke and dried herbs waft from the glass as this silky, exceptionally polished Brunello shows off its personality. The 2009 is quite open and racy, but never overly ripe, as so many wines are in this vintage. All the elements fall into place in a striking, delicious Brunello to enjoy over the next decade.

Limpid ruby. Not as pure on the nose as the regular 2010 Brunello from Sesti. The oak obscures the beautiful fruit a little. Pretty rich compared with the 2010 regular though much purer than the Brunello 2009 norm. Sweet and just slightly occluded. Well made with sufficient freshness. But it's not as persistent as the 2010 regular.