2010 Brunello di Montalcino

Proprietor Vincenzo Abbruzzese makes some of the richest Brunellos readers will come across. The straight Brunello is a blend of the estate's parcels, while the Madonna del Piano is a single-vineyard wine. Both Brunellos are aged in cask. In the cellar, the young wines always exude notable class and personality, but in some vintages, my feeling is that there is a loss of freshness during aging that is greater than what one might expect to see with the passage of time. The 2010s have turned out beautifully, while the 2009s, which I tasted again are inline with the overall quality of a challenging vintage. Readers who like big, powerful Brunellos will find plenty to admire here. My own personal preference is to drink these wines starting around age ten, which is when most of the top-flight vintages start to shine. Valdicava remains a small, family-owned property with deep roots tied to the land.