Dei, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva (Tuscany, Italy) 2015

I’ve tasted this producer’s wines sporadically for nearly 30 years, but this is the best of any of them.  Still full of perfectly ripened primary fruit at seven years of age and despite the lengthy aging regimen for Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva (a minimum of 3 years, including at least 12 months in wood), this wine is absolutely singing at this point in its evolution.  Savory notes from time in bottle are just beginning to show prominently, and though the wood influence is moderate and unobtrusive, it lends a spicy tinge as well as some additional textural grip, which the lovely fruit can easily counterbalance so that the finish doesn’t seem astringent.  All of the aromatic and flavor elements seem perfectly symmetrical in this wine, and all of them are harmoniously related to one another.  I grant that $80 is an asking price that will make many Italian wine lovers ask, “why wouldn’t I buy a top Brunello or even a Brunello Riserva for that much money?”  Well, this wine answers the question, and quite emphatically.  It is better than any 2015 Brunello Riserva that I’ve tasted to date in 2022, and is so good that I’m worried my score may be low by a point or two.  Simply gorgeous.