"Compared to the wine from the La Mannella site (with fruit from the northern part of the appellation), the 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Poggiarelli is assembled with fruit located in the warmer southeastern quadrant of the region. You can immediately tell the difference between these two Brunellos. This expression is slightly softer, richer and shows even more volume. I am slightly partial to the La Mannella wine because it feels tighter and firmer. But this is a significant beauty as well. The oak aging between the two wines also differs. This version ages in tonneaux for two years, and the other wine goes into large oak casks for three years. This is the modern wine that is the classic Brunello. Bottle production here is a mere 4,000 units..” RP

“Good full red. Blueberry, red cherry, sweet pipe tobacco, minerals and spices on the nose, lifted by notes of violet and white pepper. Features terrific inner-mouth tension to the sappy crushed fruit flavors. This is richer, denser and deeper than Cortonesi’s 2013 Brunello, but is every bit as vibrant and silky, though clearly also more backward. Finishes long and precise, featuring ripe tannins and subtly complex notes of red fruit, game and saline, smoky underbrush. A superb Brunello that ranks with the best from the vintage.” Ian d'Agatha