Enticing aromas of black cherries, dark mushrooms, bark and dried flowers, such as roses and honeysuckle. It’s full-bodied, layered and chewy with loads of cherry, plum and orange peel on the palate. Chewy finish with some bitter lemon and smoke at the end. Best ever? Give it four or five years to soften. Try after 2024.

I have really enjoyed these latest releases from La Fortuna from the past few years. The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino (with 35,000 bottles produced) opens to a dark ruby or garnet appearance and shows impressive aromatic intensity. With that intensity comes sharpness and precision. The aromas unfold quickly to display candied fruit, cocktail cherry, licorice, cola and dark spice. This is a frank and naked expression of Sangiovese from an excellent vintage.- ML