The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is one of my favorite wines of the year. It gets as close to Brunello perfection as vinously possible. Fruit is sourced exclusively from the estate's oldest vines in the Vigna Vecchia Mercatale vineyard, the oldest Canalicchio cru. The vines were planted in 1987-1988. They are in their prime production years right now. This is first time the Riserva is made exclusively from that site. The depth of this wine is extraordinary. The wine starts with a playful offering of red fruit and cherry. Like many of the wines from this vintage, the bouquet takes a while to arrive at full intensity. That margin should shorten as the wine continues its cellar aging and evolution. Yet, the slow start to the bouquet is ultimately what drives your interest in this wine. The mouthfeel is exceptional with tannins that are both silky and firm at the same time. - Monica Larner

A wine that shows so much on the nose with dried meat, wet earth and fruit aromas and flavors. Changes all the time. Full body, velvety tannins and a flavorful finish. Superb depth and length. Drink now or hold for as long as you'd like.

Rich, savory cherry sauce and balsam herbs smolder up from the 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. This is still a bit grumpy and youthfully coy today. While silky in feel, it has a vertical and slightly monolithic feel to it, with compressed, cool-toned red fruits and minerals, remaining youthfully dense and poised. Sour berry and citrus resonate over a coating of fine tannins, communicating the need to lose these bottles for at least another five years in the cellar. That said, the 2010 may one day be a rock-star wine. -- Eric Guido

Underbrush, truffle, pressed violet, tilled soil, eucalyptus and mature berry aromas unfold on this structured, elegant red. It is still young and primary, offering red cherry, black raspberry, menthol, licorice and dried herb alongside youthfully austere tannins that need to unwind. This will benefit from another decade of cellaring. - Kerin O’Keefe