The 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Rennina is a dark, plush and succulent red wine with seamless overall integration. Angelo Gaja makes his wines with broad brush strokes that form shapes of perfect harmony and grandeur. He seems less interested in the minutiae, much in the same way an impressionist painter creates a portrait without consideration for the gritty details of reality. Continuing with my art metaphor, I'll venture to say that this is a big-picture wine that embraces bold fruit, oak spice, acidity and tannin in one overwhelming and warm embrace. I usually score the Sugarille a point or two higher, but this year the Rennina won my heart. - Monica Larner

The 2013 Brunello Di Montalcino Rennina has a soft, floral perfume of crushed violets, graphitic earth, balsamic, and fresh black cherry. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied and reveals notes of ripe red plum, baked earth, fresh pine, sage, and toasted cedar. It has a heavier dose of oak than later vintages, as the estate has since moved away from this style, but it is a very attractive and polished wine. It was exciting to see the evolution of this estate through this tasting. Drink 2023-2039. - Audrey Frick

This is fragrant, offering cherry, leather, floral and spice notes. On the palate, this remains fresh, with persistent flavors and fine harmony. Dusty tannins pull everything together on the finish. There’s plenty of energy here. Best from 2021 through 2035. — B.S.