The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva received an official “wow” from the moment I put my nose to the glass. Here I’m finding a beguiling bouquet of crushed black cherries and mint, mixed with cinnamon and grilled sage. There’s a cool-toned feel to the silky, medium-bodied textures, and a fruit profile that is still quite dense and tightly wound, with mineral-tinged red berries and savory spices cascading across the palate. What remains is a wall of heroic structure, yet also a pleasant inner sweetness and residual acids to balance. The 2010 has many years of development ahead of it, not quite ready to reveal its charms, but like a bomb just waiting to explode. -- Eric Guido