Brunello di Montalcino, Renieri di Montalcino 2015

Earthy aromas of bark, sand, truffles, graphite, rust, terracotta and sandalwood rise up from the deep with Burgundian poise; fruitier orange zest and preserved lemons glimmer in their wake, while riper incense and tar lurk in this dense forest of aromas. Physics itself gives way as the line between reduction and oxidation is blurred. There’s such richness to the center palate, but the fruit there is vivacious and elegant, swaddled in robust but generous tannins that breach the outermost reaches of the mouth. The finish is hauntingly long, the after effects of the acidity unworldly. This is certainly in a quiet, reserved stage of evolution, and will need time to fully mature in bottle. Drink in 2025.

The Renieri 2015 Brunello di Montalcino takes a slightly different read of the vintage, with drier and more austere fruit flavors. I get some tannic astringency as well on the finish with a point of bitterness. Compared to many of its peers that produced soft and richly opulent wines in the warm 2015 vintage, Renieri's expression is a bit more angular and edgy. You get dark fruit tones with sour cherry and spice on the close. One thing it does share in common is that balsamic aromatic intensity that you encounter so readily in Brunello from the classic 2015 vintage. Drink 2021-2035.