2016 Brunello di Montalcino

Riccardo Talenti sources fruit from five vineyards spread out between higher elevations of Sant'Angelo in Colle and lower elevations of Castelnuovo dell'Abate to create a southern yet wonderfully balanced expression of Brunello, one that is capable of pleasing a broad range of palates. What’s more, with the 2015 vintage, Talenti releases their first single-vineyard wine, the Brunello di Montalcino Piero, which emerges from a two-hectare parcel first planted by PierLuigi Talenti in the 1970s. The 2015 is one of the top wines of the vintage, and the 2016 is an excellent follow-up, once again ranking high in my tastings. The best part is that the house Brunello hasn’t suffered at all from separating this fruit from the blend. Then there’s the Pian di Conte Riserva, a vineyard selection from the oldest vines surrounding the cellar at 400 meters, vinified in stainless steel and matured in Slavonian and Allier oak barrels for thirty-six months. It’s one of a handful of Riservas that actually communicates a deeper and richer expression than the house Brunello, with the capacity for a long and balanced evolution in the cellar. The process of converting to all organic practices throughout the vineyards is the latest development here.