'Boutique winery Lisini makes quintessential Brunellos that perfectly demonstrate their exclusively Sangiovese origins. Given the cult status and high demand of Lisini's Brunellos, these bottlings easily put to rest the idea that what the people really want is a little Merlot blended into their Brunellos. Rather than overoak, overextract, or overripen, the firm prefers to craft its classic offerings with the denomination's tried and true winemaking methods.' - Kerin O'Keefe, Brunello di Montalcino: Understanding and Appreciating One of Italy's Greatest Wines

2010 is a lovely vintage for regular Brunello, and no one does regular Brunello better than Lisini. Perfectly situated between the villages of Sant'Angelo and Castelnuovo dell'Abate, on the south side of Montalcino, around 350 metres above sea level, Lisini is unashamedly traditional. Fermentation is in glass-lined, cement tanks (pictured). Now newly fashionable, Lisini's were a huge investment back in 1972. Ageing is carried out exclusively in large Slavonian botti - 'Using barriques for Brunello is like adding cream to tomato sauce - they both mask the defects of poor quality ingredients,' according to Lorenzo Lisini.

Although enticing aromas of herbs, spice and leather make the Lisini Brunello hugely appealing already, it does have sufficient concentration and balance to reward medium-term cellaring. Cheaper than the 2004 on release 6 years ago, we strongly recommend tucking away a couple of boxes of this for drinking over the next 5 to 10 years. /AR

PS Before you ask, 2010 Ugolaia won't be released till next year, after the 2009 this spring. There are five 6-packs of the 2008 remaining.

Offered subject to remaining unsold for shipment spring 2015