Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Santa Caterina d'Oro 2010

Aromas of plums, flowers, fresh mushrooms and violets. Full body, firm and silky tannins and a long, long finish. Beautiful balance and length. Powerful tannins underneath the exquisite fruit. Great finish. Goes on for minutes. Drink or hold.

With so many fantastic wines produced in 2010, it's hard to make a shortlist of your favorites. One expression that should definitely be included is the stunning 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna di Pianrosso Santa Caterina d'Oro. This is a graceful and super elegant wine with bold aromatic intensity that is followed by firm tannins and a polished, smooth texture. It offers power in the proverbial silken glove. But the wine is not simplistic by any stretch. The longer it warms in the glass, the more it delights and surprises. Delicate tones of wild berry, cassis, blanched almond and dried ginger work together in harmony.

Bright, intense ruby garnet that shimmers in the glass. A very intense and vivid nose that smells of tree-ripened cherries and raspberries, with thyme and cardamom in the background - very inviting. On the palate it's seamless, with lots of rich, ripe fruit in the front, then fine-meshed, elegant tannins that become denser as it progresses. There's rich drive all the way to the finish, which ends with an echo of that ripe fruit in the aftertaste

Aromas of wild berry, forest floor, new leather, grilled herb, menthol and dark spice all come together on this full-bodied red. The structured palate is still young but shows great depth, offering mature black cherry, tobacco, clove and licorice framed in youthfully assertive tannins that give it an age-worthy structure. Drink 2022–2040.