Agostina Pieri's dark plum/garnet-colored 1996 Brunello di Montalcino offers complex aromatics of tobacco, smoke, plums, licorice, earth, and cigar box. It is austere, but offers good sweet cherry fruit on the attack, medium body, and a packed, slightly compressed style with dry tannin in the finish. While mature aromatically, it is closed and backward in the mouth. It is questionable whether the tannin will ever become fully integrated. However, there is a lot going on in this offering. Drink it over the next 10-12 years. Importer: Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (707) 996-4484