2013 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva "Madonna del Piano"

Deep ruby. Slightly reticent nose hints at black cherry, herbs and flint. Then juicy and bright, with deep flavors of minerals, blueberry and red cherry, complicated by peppery herbs. Closes long with repeating mineral nuances. A sleeping giant, the fruit is having a tough time emerging currently but I’d say there’s plenty there, just lying beneath the wine’s noble tannic cloak. Cellar this very refined Brunello for five or six years to see how it develops.

- Ian D'Agata (03/2019)

Ripe, offering cherry, plum and floral aromas and flavors, matched to a rich texture. Tobacco and iron notes emerge as this builds to a lengthy finish. A touch dry on the finish, but the sweet fruit returns in the end. Best from 2022 through 2038. 1,500 cases made, 500 cases imported.

- B.S.

Showing ripe and balanced fruit, the Valdicava 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del Piano (with 15,666 bottles produced) offers many very positive attributes. The wine flaunts a slightly contemporary or international side, and it does so with extreme confidence and elegance. Much of that natural balance comes directly from the classic vintage that exhibits both the structure and acidity necessary for prolonged cellar aging. Now, in the wine's youngest phase, it offers lush primary cherry and blackberry flavors followed carefully by measured spice, toast and red rose potpourri.

- Monica Larner (01/2019)