(94 points) This shows lovely depth on the nose with dark licorice, dried fruit, red meat, blood oranges and Indian spices. Full-bodied and intense, but with real linearity carved out by the bright acidity and firm, grainy tannin backbone, which help to delineate the red-fruited core and lead to a long finish. Drink in 2020.

One of three single-vineyard expressions from Val di Suga, the 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Poggio al Granchio opens to a nicely saturated color and beautifully intense aromas. Fruit is sourced from a site located in the southeast quadrant of Montalcino where steep diurnal shifts help to sharpen and maximize those pretty fruit aromas. Wild cherry and blackberry are followed by aniseed, camphor ash and balsam herb. This elegant wine delivers an impressive load of Sangiovese typicity. This wine was aged in French barrique for 24 months, and the oak is expertly integrated. Some 8,000 bottles were made.