Hints of fresh mint give way to dried strawberries and cedary spice as the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino blossoms in the glass. This is a soft and graceful effort, with a pretty inner sweetness that complements its notes of ripe cherry and plum. The 2018’s structure comes on full force through the finish, as a primary concentration of fruit recedes to reveal a saturation of fine tannins, leaving only hints of licorice and wild blueberry to linger. While a bit aggressive through the finale, there’s a lot of depth and power here that should allow this to excel through medium-term cellaring. 92+ points