Elegant, with a vibrant structure shoring up cherry, raspberry, plum, earth and underbrush flavors. Turns compact on the finish, yet bright acidity and vestiges of the fruit keep this focused. Best from 2025 through 2040.

The 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino CastelGiocondo is initially generous with aromas of dark fruit and spice, with notes of black cherry, smoke, cedar, and scorched earth. It is medium to full-bodied, with fresh blackberry, turned soil, and dried herbs, and its structure continues past its fruit, which is fresh and has a pretty arch, with dusty tannins and mineral texture gripping the palate. Drink this sturdy, solid effort 2024-2030.

The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino is dusty and floral on the nose, with a mix of dried black cherries, shaved cedar and wild flowers forming its inviting bouquet. This is round, almost juicy in feel, with cooling mineral tones and brisk acidityk t-at maintains an unexpectedly energetic character, as tart wild berry fruits slowly saturate. The 2 018 finishes with grippy tannins, yet also surprisingly fresh, leaving nuances of red licorice to slowly taper off. This really took me by surprise, as I'm so accustomed to Castelgiocondo being such a brooding and powerful wine in its youth, but that is the magic of the 2018 vintage.