Padelletti 2016 Brunello di Montalcino 1.5L

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino comes to life in the glass, showcasing a classic bouquet of wild strawberries laced with smoky minerals and spice, before evolving further with notes of cedar box and dusty dried earth. It’s a model of purity, hosting soft textures over a feminine framework of brisk acids and salty minerals, with tart red fruits contrasted by sour citrus. Violet-tinged florals form along with a hint of plum and licorice, as fine tannins slowly dry out the expression. Readers in search of traditionally-styled yet wonderfully refined and age-worthy Brunello owe it to themselves to seek out the 2016 Padelletti.

Score: 95 points -- Eric Guido, Vinous, 2020