Lionello Marchesi, Brunello di Montalcino (Tuscany, Italy) “ColdiSole” 2018 ($55, Enotec Imports)

This is a delicious, ready-to-enjoy Brunello that offers an excellent combination of complexity and openness. Heady fruit aromas indicate that the fruit was quite ripe when picked, yet there are no pruny notes, and though the acidity is already fully integrated, it freshens the wine and is notable if one seeks it out as a distinct element when tasting. Equally notable are savory, balsamic notes which are prominent but not overbearing in relation to the fruit. A touch of spice and a note recalling carpaccio contribute to the wine’s overall complexity—and sheer deliciousness. The wine may prove more age worthy than I’d guess at this point, but it is so enjoyable now that additional cellaring is neither needed nor very likely among those who taste it anytime soon.
93 Michael Franz