2018 Brunello di Montalcino
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Tasting notes
This wine displays a dark garnet color that suggests a robust and savory wine to follow. Indeed, the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino does reveal a rather austere approach with dried fruit, blackcurrant and fig. I wish there was just a hint more fresh fruitiness to those aromas, but the wine has already veered toward an evolved stage. This prompts me to suggest a shorter drinking window. There is a hint of dryness to the tannins, and the acidity is welcome.
Critic scores
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Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Lustrous mid ruby with orange tinges. A seriously minerally nose that is still quite closed and with a suggestion of old leather. Backward on the palate and stubbornly closed. Very slowly unfurls and shows a stunning, balanced whole on the finish and with beautiful, finely chiselled tannins. Right now, though, it is austere and not ready by far. (WS)
The bouquet on the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino is just as extroverted as ever. An array of cloves, cinnamon sticks, dried flowers and spiced orange rinds give way to crushed black cherries. This switches gears on the palate, lifted and refined with cooling acidity and crisp wild berry fruits framed by a core of saline minerals that add a savory edge. It leaves the palate reeling with zesty tension as the mouth salivates for more, and a tart cranberry concentration puckers the cheeks. Costanti's 2018 remains atypical of the vintage, with a mix of high acidity and low alcohol that keeps the glass in constant motion.