2019 San Polino "Helichrysum" Brunello di Montalcino

The compelling San Polino Helichrysum 2019 shows even more depth than the straight Brunello and more complex aromas including new leather, blue flower, cured meat, cedar, wild heb, exotic brown spice and hazelnut. Made from the estate's highest vineyards, it's focused and full-bodied, featuring dried cherry, blood orange, licorice and saline mineral notes. Firm, tightly-woven tannins provide the backbone while bright acidity provides anery and balance.

We poured this at the Tuscany Masterpieces tasting this last weekend, and it was incredibly well received by the people in the tasting. After fermenting dry, the wine sits on the skins for another 30 days, really bringing out a lot of color and tannin, and then after going in barrel there's six months of bâtonnage that helps soften the tannins and preserve the freshness of the fruit. The result is a really approachable 2019 Brunello di Montalcino, just straight up, no gimmicks. Does it still benefit from a really healthy double decant? Sure, but what Italian wine doesn't want a couple hours of air before you really can get the most out if it? This has just a really gorgeous nose that's got a little bit of a creamy quality to it, just gobs of fruit, and then a little bit of barrel spice on the finish. The palate is very similar, the fruit is darker than the nose and really beautifully rich, this definitely has the legs to go another 10-20 years if that's what you want out of it, but it also is really delicious right now. Dark and lush, there's a grip of tannin yes, but the acidity wins out in the end my mouth is definitely not drying out as I continue to sip this. I just really enjoy this, it's just got everything I want from a Brunello in a surprisingly acessible package. Top recommendation.