“A crunchy Brunello oozing red-fruit succulence. Its mouthwateringly appealing bite relegates its albeit light tannic undertow to a bit-part, ultimately leaving the textural thoroughfare smooth, wide open and moreish.”

“The Castiglion del Bosco 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Millecento represents a happy return for a wine that we have not seen in a few years. This Riserva draws its fruit from an eight-hectare parcel with schistous galestro soils surrounded by thick forests and wildlife. Some 10,000 bottles were made. There is soft and rich cherry fruit at the core with light shadings of spice, cinnamon, tilled earth and a more sanguine tone of rust or iron ore.”

“The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Campo del Drago (with only 8,000 bottles made) comes from a little vineyard measuring just 1.5 hectares. It is located at a high 450 meters above sea level, and what this parcel lacks in size, it makes up for in terms of view and exposure. The entire Castiglion del Boco property is surrounded by thick shrub oak forests, as the very name of the estate suggests ("bosco" means "forest" in Italian), with wild boar, roe deer and foxes (plenty of foxes). You most certainly smell aromas of underbrush and forest floor in this wine along with dark fruit, cherry and plum.”

“The Castiglion del Bosco 2016 Brunello di Montalcino is a fruit-forward expression with soft cherry, blackberry, tilled earth and a touch of sweet spice. This wine is made in an especially accessible style that prizes ripe fruit and oak aging (in both barrique and botte). Fruit comes from a 52-hectare vineyard with galestro schist and clay. The tannins are more evident here compared to the 2015 vintage; however, this wine is almost ready to go with beef tagliata topped with porcini mushrooms. Production is 130,000 bottles.”

“The 2016 Castiglion del Bosco Brunello di Montalcino really stands out with its vivid display of crushed raspberries, lavender and clove. Further depths are found with each swirl, adding mentholated herbs and flowery undergrowth. It’s dense and dark-fruited, enveloping the palate with notes of black cherry, plum, exotic savory spice and minerals. This is soothing and pliant in spite of the 2016’s youthful state, balancing brisk acids and fine tannins to create a push and pull of structural tension. The symmetry here is spellbinding, and everything is in the right place for a long and fruitful evolution over the next ten to fifteen years. Tasted twice with consistent results.”