The 2009 Nearco is a Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah blend. It shows plenty of juiciness in its blue and black fruit, grilled herbs and licorice. The flashy, supple style is attractive, but it’s hard to get excited about international grapes in Montalcino when Sangiovese is fundamentally so much better suited to the majority of these terroirs. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019. Count Francesco Marone Cinzano is soft-spoken and reserved. He is also one of the most driven of Montalcino’s large landowners. A quiet, non-publicized conversion to biodynamic farming that has been underway for several years is typical of the way things are done at Col d’Orcia. Cinzano’s right-hand man, estate manager Edoardo Virano, has worked at Col d’Orcia since 1977 and has an intimate level of knowledge of the property and its history that is second to none. Col D’Orcia makes a wide range of wines, although it is the Brunelli that stand out most. In a typical vintage the Brunelli can be enjoyed a few years after release, but history continues to teach me that they bloom most fully between ages 20-30. Luckily, the estate has an extensive library of older wines that are re-released with some frequency, which gives consumers the opportunity to taste older vintages with perfect provenance, something I have been able to do on a few occasions. Readers may want to take a look at my video interview with Francesco Marone Cinzano as well as my article on a handful of older Col d’Orcia’s library wines, both posted on www.erobertparker.com Importer: Palm Bay International, Boca Raton, FL; tel. (561) 362-9642