Made in an elegant style, this precocious Brunello already provides delicious drinking. The color is dark ruby and the nose offers up classy aromas of sweet curranty fruit and spices. The wine is medium to full-bodied, with surprisingly soft tannins, a sure-handed sense of elegance and style, and a long, rich, extremely well-balanced finish. I suspect this wine should continue to drink well for at least a decade. An impressive wine, this Brunello is not burdened down by excessive earthiness or astringent tannins. Importer: Wine Bow, Inc., New York, NY.

Soldera's 1986 Brunello di Montalcino is another of the positive surprises in this tasting. It is similar in style to the 1982 in its full-bodied, structured expression of Sangiovese. This is an undeniably great bottle.