Pian delle Vigne Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2015

Quite reductive and earthy, but opens to show tidy cranberries and glazed red cherries. Hints of citrus and spice. Full-bodied and rich, but there’s savory edge to the plush, juicy tannins, and lots of weight and density. Drink from 2024.

The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Pian delle Vigne was tasted (after a double decant) among the other wines from the Chianti Classico appellation made by Marchesi Antinori. That's a change because I usually taste this wine in a peer group of fellow Brunelli. You'd be forgiven for forgetting how different Sangiovese from these two geographically close (but philosophically distant) wine regions ultimately tastes. This expression from the warm 2015 vintage is loosely knit and less fine-tuned. It offers a broad-brush interpretation of the grape, with textured blackberry, spice, tar and earthy aromas. There is a touch of heat or extra ripeness in this wine that tends to flatten out the more nuanced details of the grape. The wine feels a bit evolved even at this young tasting date. Some 172,000 bottles were released in January 2020.