2010 Brunello di Montalcino Poggio al Vento
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Aged in oak for 48 months, the Col d'Orcia 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio al Vento is kept in bottle for two additional years. In other words, it is released seven years after the harvest. This wine is intensely powerful and rich, showing a hefty quality that cedes to dark fruit, grilled herb and tobacco. The vineyards are located in an ancient seabed with sandy soils. These impart salinity or minerality that comes through in all of these back vintages. This site is located at the heart of the estate, up on a hill, and is surrounded by cool woodlands. The soils are schistic galestro clay. Poggio al Vento is a seven-hectare vineyard, and this wine represents a special selection of fruit from across this site. The vines were planted in 1974 with replants in 1990. The main takeaway here is the tight tannic structure of this age-worthy wine.
Critic scores
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Dark, rich and seductive, the 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio al Vento shows ginger-spiced cookie with hints of leather and smoke, before opening further to reveal black cherry fruits. While cool-toned and pliant, it has velvety textures that find a wonderful balance in the tart blackberry fruits and exotic inner spices. The balance here is amazing, sometimes sweet and sometimes sour, all framed by youthfully grippy tannins and hints of cranberry and spice. Bury the 2010 deep in the cellar, and reap the rewards for decades to come.
Tasted blind. Lustrous ruby with bricky rim. Nutty oaky nose that needs lots of aeration and with cherry-liqueur notes. Youthful, firm and concentrated palate. Still quite tannic, but with fantastic balance and a long finish. (WS)