Vinous 95 at $65:
Deep, dark red fruits and exotic spices give way to hints of menthol, flowery undergrowth and tobacco as the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Ugolforte unfolds in the glass. It’s silky-smooth and cool-toned with ripe woodland berries, hints of clove and blood orange. Fine tannins coat the palate, but energy remains high due to vibrant acidity, as this tapers off with a salty, almost silty minerality under rosy inner florals. The 2016 spent only six months in second-pass barriques before being completed in 30-hectoliter Slavonian oak for another 40 months. Retasting this wine with another year of bottle age was a total pleasure.
Also 95 from Suckling:
This is a full-bodied red with ripe blackberry, smoked-meat and burnt-orange notes. Strong tannins with a lots of chewiness. Quite tight on the finish. But there is pureness and beauty to this. More opulent than the 2015. Drink after 2025.
Plus outstanding scores from Dunnuck, the Wine Advocate, Decanter and Jancis Robinson. And very high ratings on CellarTracker, too.
One of the top traditionally-styled Brunellos of this historic vintage, and for what’s in the bottle very fairly priced.