Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino 2016

Professional Ratings

• 96 Wine Enthusiast
  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
• 95 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  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.
  Rating: 95(+)
• 95 James Suckling
  This is so aromatic and floral with cedar, dried roses, and black cherries. It’s full-bodied, yet so refined and tight with silky tannins and a flavorful finish. Tight and focused. Needs time to open, but shows beautiful finesse and focus.
• 94 Wine Spectator
  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.
• 93 Decanter
  2016 was the last vintage under ownership of the Gloder family, who originally established the estate in the late 1970s. It was subsequently sold to Belgian investor group, Altas Invest. Aged in large Slavonian oak casks, this is Poggio Antico’s more traditional Brunello. Still exuberantly youthful, the 2016 is a joyful mouthful. It overflows with purple flowers and heady summer berries, yet there is plenty of freshness to keep it light on its feet. The tannins are caressing and a pop of mint on the finish leads it to a satisfying close.