This wine is inviting from the very first sip. The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a fine example of excellent winemaking at Poggio Antico. This Brunello opens to pretty layers of forest berry, blanched almond, grilled rosemary, balsam herb and cassis. The style adopted here is elegant and tight, and shows a high level of complexity. Poggio Antico has stepped away from the richer and more extracted style that I remember a few years ago. Instead, this is a long-term wine that needs more time to open, but that promises to improve with age. I would suggest opening the bottle after 2018 or longer if you can wait.95 points from Robert Parker, The Wine AdvocateWinery Notes: As per the D.O.C.G. regulations, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva must be aged for a total of five years as opposed to four required for the regular Brunello.The Brunello Riserva Poggio Antico is only produced in exceptional vintages. In those years the grapes from the oldest and lowest altitude vineyard are processed and aged separately. The Poggio Antico Riserva spends three and a half years in wood; the first year of aging takes place in 500-liter French tonneaux while the remaining aging is in new Slavonian oak barrels. The wine is then bottle aged for one and a half years before release to complete the mandatory five years of total aging. The result is a mature, round and complex wine.The rather limited production of Brunello Riserva usually averages 18,000 bottles. Due to its characteristics, it is a wine for which further bottle aging is encouraged.The Riserva is an intense ruby red, with garnet hues. Its bouquet is usually evolved and austere, with hints of wild berries, leather, and roasted coffee. In the mouth it has a fully developed rich structure, and is very elegant and smooth thanks to its rich tannins. It is extremely well balanced and rounded, with a persistent silky finish.
