2016 Brunello di Montalcino Piero

This is the second vintage of Piero, a wine that pays homage to the winery's founder. The Talenti 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Piero shows a bigger and bolder style next to the classic 2016 Brunello; however, this wine remains graceful and lifted nonetheless. It does not make the mistake of showing too much extraction or concentration (it is aged in tonneau for two years), and its pretty personality is especially bright and chiseled in the 2016 vintage. The mouthfeel shows a little more weight (and maybe less freshness, or the impression of less freshness) compared to the classic bottling. There is a just a touch more fruit concentration and richness with the 4,000-bottle release.

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Piero is an excellent follow-up to the 2015 that wowed me earlier this year. It takes a much more refined and darkly alluring approach, as an air of crushed stone gives way to masses of blackberry and cherry, further blossoming to show notes of sage, a dusting of cedar, mocha and leather strap. There’s an exotic flair here without ever straying from Sangiovese purity. The textures are pure elegance, like silk being draped across the senses yet perfectly balanced by zesty acids and hints of sour citrus, as depths of red/black fruits give way to inner floral and earth tones. You can hardly feel its tannic heft until the finish, where structure rules, clenching the palate with youthful poise while allowing hints of balsamic spice to linger on. There is simply so much going on here and so much more to come over time.