2016 - Brunello di Montalcino, Canalicchio di Sopra

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino soothes the senses with a bouquet that evokes spiced cherry herbal tea, incense and cloves with an enriching touch of brown spice. This is maturing beautifully and evenly, now more pliant and silky, still full of youthful tension yet undeniably attractive and refined. The 2016's tannins remain firm, fine-grained and enveloping, leaving hints of licorice and a bitter blackberry tinge that puckers the cheeks. An understated beauty.

The Canalicchio di Sopra 2016 Brunello di Montalcino shows balance and symmetry with that difficult twofold delivery of power and elegance. This terrific new release shows dark fruit and tart cherry, but then unwinds slowly to reveal light spice, toasted nut, blue flower and crushed limestone. The wine affords a genuine sense of place with roots in the northern half of the appellation where the light is whiter and the nights are cooler. That brilliant luminosity appears in the pure quality of fruit and the sharp focus of the mouthfeel, driven by balanced tannins and acidity. The sensation it gives is compact and long, without too much extra volume or padding. This wine is like a contoured, chiseled and carefully polished marble statue that you would see in a Renaissance church. Production is an ample 44,218 bottles.

A blend of the Montosoli (60%) and Canalicchio (40%) crus. Lustrous mid ruby. Closed, with minerally hints. Fantastic focus, concentration and balance and totally poised. Very pure, with long tannins. Enormous concentration yet not heavy. Very young but already irresistible. (WS)