2006 Costanti Brunello di Montalcino

(95 Points) The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino is a dazzling wine. The aromatics alone are haunting. Sweet red cherries, rosemary, sage, tobacco and cedar are woven into a fabric of nearly indescribable elegance. Costanti’s straight Brunello can sometimes lack a little depth in its fruit, but not in 2006. This totally complete, harmonious Brunello is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage. It is a stunner. As delicious as the wine is now, it really needs at least a handful of years for the firm tannins to start melting away. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2031. When Andrea Costanti’s wines are on – as they are here – they are among the most enjoyable of the entire appellation. The slightly updated yet traditional style is immensely appealing. Wine Advocate #194, May 2011