A dusting of cinnamon, clove and cedar shavings evolve into a more savory mix of tart black cherries, plum sauce, mentholated herbs and hints of animal musk, as the Poggio Il Castellare’s 2004 Brunello di Montalcino opens up in the glass. This hauntingly dark and elegant wine casts velvety textures across a medium-bodied framework of vibrant acids and adolescent tannin. Depths of sapid black fruit and rich brown spices give way to saturating minerality toward the close. It’s long, yet zesty and invigorating through the finale, contrasting hints of sour citrus against ripe fruits under an air of inner florals. The 2004 is extremely giving and pleasurable today; still, it has quite a few years of positive evolution in store for the patient collector. (EG)

Poggio Il Castellare has taken leaps and bounds in quality over the past few years and this vintage boasts a sophisticated and penetrating wine with cherry, spice, vanilla and toast. There’s a strong oak element here but it coexists comfortably with the natural fruit.