The dark plum/garnet-colored 1993 Brunello di Montalcino offers up a knock-out nose of fruitcake, Asian spices, incense, flowers, red and black fruits, earth, and minerals. It is one of the most complex bouquets I have ever smelled in a wine. In the mouth, it is sweet, ripe, and round, with exceptional purity and ripeness, but, surprisingly, not the weight one would associate with such a provocative and persistent fragrance. Medium-bodied, with a gorgeously layered, supple texture, it should drink well for a decade or more.
This unfined, unfiltered, totally natural offering is one of the most aromatic and expressionistic red wines made in Italy. It is obviously made from grapes taken to the limit of ripeness, as well as vinified with caution thrown to the wind.
This fascinating wine is made in extremely limited quantities as the estate's production is approximately 2,000 cases.
A Leonardo Locasio Selection, Winebow, Hohokus, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620