The 2008 Brunello di Montalcino Pianrosso is more layered, perfumed and subtle than the straight Brunello. Freshly cut flowers, dark red fruit, licorice, spices and menthol are all layered together nicely in the glass. A wine of considerable texture and depth, the 2008 Pianrosso should drink well for at least a handful of years. There is no shortage of depth, richness or complexity in this fine effort. This is an especially concentrated style for the year, but it works. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2025. Proprietor Paolo Bianchini suffered the same fate as many of his colleagues in 2008, which is to say, significant crop loss due to hail in both April and August. Still, this is a solid set of new releases. Bianchini has decided to wait one more year before releasing his flagship Brunello Riserva Vigna di Pianrosso Santa Caterina d’Oro. Importer: Indigenous Selections, Fort Lauderdale FL; tel. (954) 530 4021

The 2007 Brunello di Montalcino Pianrosso is fresher, more floral and more delineated than the straight Brunello bottling. There is plenty of Ciacci depth and muscle in the glass. Layers of dark red fruit, crushed flowers, licorice and spices wrap around the intense, deep finish. This is a huge wine with tons of 2007 Castelnuovo character, but also with enough freshness to balance out the wine’s more extroverted leanings. The 2007 is a big improvement over the 2006, which remains an underachiever relative to Ciacci’s historical track record of excellence. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2027. Paolo Bianchini’s 2007 Brunelli are quite a bit better than the 2006s. One of the recent evolutions at Ciacci has been Bianchini’s desire to make an entry-level Brunello that is more affordable than his wines have been in the past, hence a greater separation in terms of quality and price between the straight Brunello and the Pianrosso. The Brunelli undergo alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in steel, and are aged in cask. Importer: Indigenous Selections, Fort Lauderdale FL; tel. (954) 530 4021

The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino Pianrosso offers plenty of richness and density in its soft, caressing fruit. The Pianrosso is made in a decidedly opulent style that pushes the limits of ripeness to the extreme. The wine’s balance is acceptable today, but I am less convinced about the future. Both bottles I tasted were overripe and pruney. This is one of the disappointments among Montalcino’s elite bottlings in 2006. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018. Importer: Indigenous Selections, Fort Lauderdale FL; tel. (954) 530-4021

This wine is a candidate for one of the finest Brunello di Montalcinos of the vintage. A thick looking color suggests considerable intensity and extraction. The huge nose of black truffles, jammy black-cherries, and toasty new oak is followed by a massively-endowed, full-bodied, immensely concentrated wine that tastes almost sweet because of the exceptional ripeness and fruit density. No doubt there is significant tannin lurking beneath the layers of fat and glycerin. This is a terrific Brunello di Montalcino for drinking over the next 20 years. Unfortunately, as with so many great wines, quantities are minuscule. A Marc di Grazia Selection, various importers, including Estate Wines, San Rafael, CA; tel. (415) 492-9411, Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300, Vin Divino, and Chicago, IL; tel. (312) 281-3363