Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino 2016
- Vintage
- 2016
- Country
- Italy
- Region
- Tuscany
- Size
- 750ml
- Grapes
- Sangiovese
- Rating
- WE96, WA95+, WS94
Classic Sangiovese aromas of underbrush, wild berry and new leather mingle with whiffs of camphor. Supremely elegant, the focused palate shows precision and great energy, featuring juicy red cherry, pomegranate, white pepper and black tea set against chiseled, refined tannins. Vibrant acidity keeps it balanced while a salty mineral note lingers on the close. Fantastic showing. Drink 2026–2041 - WE96
The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino offers a pure and classic expression of the vintage with bright fruit tones, wild cherry, toasted nut, blue flower and forest floor. Whereas the other wines in the Poggio Antico portfolio undergo aging in smaller tonneaux, this wine is aged in large Slavonian casks instead. You taste the lift and brightness of the fruit, and it's all quite lovely. Grapes are sourced across a 13-hectare site at a very high 500 meters in elevation. The name of this area is I Poggi, and the soils here are a bit lighter and rockier with both schistous galestro and limestone alberese. I love the delicate approach here, the intensity of those floral aromas, and the silky nature of the mouthfeel. Some 34,000 bottles will be released in January 2021. This classic Brunello really stands out. Drink: 2024~2042 - WA95+
Ripe, sweet plum, cherry and blackberry flavors are complemented by iron and tobacco accents in this suave red. Shows fine balance and texture, with well-integrated tannins and acidity and a long, mouthwatering finish. Best from 2024 through 2047. - WS94
Paola Gloder has one of Montalcino's most elevated estates, with vineyards averaging 1476 feet above sea level, southwest of the famed medieval citadel. Both the unique location and altitude privilege the wines of Poggio Antico. The lower hillside terroir south of Montalcino is conducive to powerful and opulent Brunellos. This, combined with the estate's vineyard elevations -- which enjoy favorable overnight drops in temperature -- bring increased finesse and intense bouquet.
The young and tireless owner has been firmly at the helm of Poggio Antico almost since its inception, when her father purchased 50 clayey, calcareous acres of Brunello di Montalcino vineyards, in 1984. Paola's husband, Alberto Montefiori, joined her in this task in 1998. In their forceful hands, the estate has seen a phenomenal growth, going from 50 to the present 80 acres under vine, developing two parallel Brunello worlds _ the more traditional, larger-barrel Brunello, aged longer in Slavonian oak and the modern, finesse-driven Altero, aged in tonneaux of French oak , securing a stellar position in the global market and extending and upgrading the facility to ultrahigh-tech standards.