2018 Brunello di Montalcino, Il Marroneto, Tuscany, Italy

Lustrous, concentrated ruby. Refined but still a bit closed on the nose with spicy and minerally hints. Lots of appeal on the palate with gorgeous, juicy, lively and concentrated cherry and raspberry fruit and with a hint of fruit cake. Lots of firm tannins, which are still a tiny bit astringent, layering the fruit. Long and layered finish, but still a little embryonic.

Drink 2023 - 2028

Fresh red fruit with cherries, red plum, hints of gun powder, coffee beans, spices, and dried orange peel. Medium- to full-bodied with firm tannins and a supple, velvety core of fruit on the mid palate. Lingering mineral sensation in the finish.

Best after 2024

The 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino pours a deep and youthful ruby hue. It is highly expressive with medicinal herbs, sour black cherry, leather, clove, and burnt orange. Medium to full-bodied, with tangy acidity and ripe yet angular tannins, it has a complex profile, with currant, dried flowers, and dusty saline earth. It is wound up and needs time, but this will be a wine to enjoy over the coming 20 years.

Drink 2025 - 2043

Il Marroneto’s 2018 Brunello personifies elegance, ease and prettiness without being banal or superficial. Harvested from 5 October, there’s a sweetness to the red berry core that provides a backdrop for cinnamon stick, sarsaparilla and violet accents to the parade. Ripe tannins are fine-grained and enveloping as this reaches accessible depths, and appetising acidity begs another sip – but not before the leisurely finish unfolds with spice and raspberry. A seamless symphony that echoes Alessandro Mori’s unhurried, unforced approach to winemaking. As tempting as this is now, a bit more patience will be rewarded.

Drink 2024 - 2032

There’s a radiance to the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino that makes it a total pleasure to taste today, as sweet exotic spices come together with dried black cherries, dusty flowers and hints of clove. This is pure pleasure on the palate, displaying both an opulence of fruit, yet also total poise and refinement, as sour berries find an energizing lift from juicy acidity.

The 2018 doesn’t miss a beat, tapering off with rounded tannins while lingering on the palate for well up to a minute with an energizing burst of citrus, nuances of sweet rose and liquorice. This is already so pretty today, yet it also possesses the balanced structure to mature beautifully, which isn’t found in many Brunello of this vintage. What a darling.

Drink 2024 - 2031

This 21,470-bottle release is a delight.

Alessandro Mori's Il Marroneto 2018 Brunello di Montalcino opens with a spicy bouquet with hints of cumin and white pepper that fold seamlessly into bright cherry, blueberry and cassis. The trick to this wine is balance, as no one side pulls stronger than the other. More importantly, this Brunello still has life and vibrant energy despite 39 months of ageing in oak casks. Precisely because this bottle tastes so good now, I see little reason to wait further.

Drink 2024 - 2040