SIRO PACENTI BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO VECCHIE VIGNE 750ML 2020

Made with fruit from the estate's oldest vines and aged in French barrique, the Siro Pacenti 2020 Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne has a spicy note with cardamom or cinnamon over a bold bouquet that is darkly enriched with all kinds of black and purple fruits. You get a hint of eucalyptus or rosemary that underlines a medicinal side to this wine. To the palate, this vintage is slightly more accessible for sure, but the house style prizes concentration and bold tannic structure that will give you runway for aging. There is a hint of dustiness or chalkiness on the tannins. This is a 16,000-bottle release.

The 2020 Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne is tightly wound and inward, with an intense mix of savory herbs, cedar shavings, ground cloves and blood orange forming its bouquet. Velvety smooth and deep, yet surprisingly vibrant, it casts masses of spiced-cherry and wild berry fruits across the palate, complicated by a hint of sour citrus. The structure emerges through the finish, impossibly long and tannic, yet still fresh, leaving a tart blackberry tinge and violet inner florals. This mixes balance and power in a wildly attractive way.

The estate’s ‘selection’ bottling is based on vine age. Uber-clean, polished and modern, it brings together the oldest plantings (over 35 years old) from plots in the northeast of Montalcino with those in the southwest. The nose flaunts its barrique ageing (60% new) with vanilla and cigar smoke atop black cherry compote and dried plum. Notes of mocha and scorched dark soil come through on the palate. An impressive level of dark berry fruit concentration speaks to low yields and serves to absorb waves of grainy wood and grape tannins. As intense as this is, the sum is cohesive and bolstered by vivid acidity.