The 2005 Brunello di Montalcino is soft and pleasing in its generous dark fruit and expressive bouquet. Plums, flowers and spices frame the long finish. In 2005 the straight Brunello is particularly successful, no doubt in part because it contains the fruit from Cerretalto, which was not made that year. Interestingly, this is a wine that doesn’t usually attract much attention. Value-conscious buyers should be on the lookout for deals on this gorgeous 2005 Brunello. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020. Proprietor Giacomo Neri makes some of the richest, most textured Brunellos readers will come across. The house style favors a lush expression of fruit with a softness that makes the wines very appealing upon release. In recent years the wines have become more elegant, with less of the excessive heaviness that characterized prior vintages. Based on what I tasted from barrel, future vintages hold quite a bit of promise as well. This year, readers – especially those on a budget (who isn’t on a budget these days?) should focus on the 2005 Brunello di Montalcino (sometimes also known as the ‘white label’), which is an overachiever because it includes fruit from the Cerretalto vineyard, the source of the estate’s top wine, which was not bottled in 2005. Importer: Dalla Terra, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 259-5405

Dried dark fruits on the nose, with Indian spices and cedar. Medium-bodied, with fine tannins, well-integrated fruit and a polished, tannic mouthfeel. Best after 2010. 6,170 cases made, 1,000 cases imported.??–JS??Region: Italy / Brunello di Montalcino Select to Add