Argiano : Brunello di Montalcino 2020

Here’s a nicely balanced Brunello that boasts bright cherry fruit intensity despite the many years of cellar aging required by the appellation. Argiano 2020 Brunello di Montalcino offers a robust layer of red and purple berry fruits along with soft spice, grilled herb and sweet potting soil. There is a slightly botanical element to the wine with green herb and dried lavender. The wine is made with fruit from old and new vines, ranging in age from 12 to 55 years old. The tannins are very fine-grained, and the acidity is present to good effect but is not too sharp. This is an ample 104,000-bottle release.

From six parcels blended after fermentation in cement and aged in 30- to 50-hectolitre oak casks, the 2020 estate Brunello is an absolute charmer. Exotically scented, it leads with spiced persimmon, arbutus bush and heady lavender. Hints of sea and sand are redolent of the not-so-faraway Tuscan coast. Appetising and accessible, the palate is packed with glossy, almost candied fruit, and there is a fullness of flavour without being heavy. Fine, powdery tannins dissolve fluently, exposing a juicy core of succulent blood orange. Impossible not to like.

A little tight now, with cherry and cedar character on the nose and palate. Plenty of flowers as well. Medium-bodied and crisp, with firm tannins that are all together. There’s energy and brightness to this. Give it two or three years to open. Drink from 2027.

Concentrated mid ruby with orange tinges. Savoury rather than fruity and with brooding concentration. Aromatic sweet-sour, cherry-fruit palate lined with grainy deep tannins. Long and tactile. Can age. (WS)

Clear ruby red with a purple shimmer. Expressive, fruity nose, with cherry and raspberry, followed by lavender and a hint of vanilla. Also delicious fruit on the palate, juicy and concentrated, with a beautiful texture, lively acidity and a salty, persistent finish.

The bright red 2020 Brunello Di Montalcino is pretty and pure, with a fruit-forward profile on the nose of bright red cherries, sweet tea, candied orange, and fennel. Medium-bodied, it floats on the palate with fine tannins and a snap of mouthwatering acidity that adds a bit of energy to this more elegantly styled vintage from Argiano. It's very pretty and approachable now but should age gracefully over the coming 10-12 years.

The 2020 Brunello di Montalcino opens with medicinal herbs and sweaty saddle on the nose, followed by tart red berries. The tannins are rustic but firm, gripping the red berries and herbs on the palate. The acidity is fresh, but the warmth of the alcohol dominates the medium finish.

The nose is defined by the warm sweetness of mocha, toasted sage, orange peel and sweet, ripe blackberry. On the palate, black cherries accentuate that blackberry note, before a wave of super tart citrus swells alongside searing acid to lift the finish. Brunello is always good, but sometimes it's also exciting.