Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2012

Eredi Fuligni is one of Montalcino's most respected and historically rooted estates — a family whose connection to this hill town stretches back generations and whose wines have long been considered among the most faithful expressions of what Brunello can be when made without compromise or concession to trend. For Fuligni, terroir is the essence of great wines and the cultural legacy of generations of winegrowers — everything from vineyard management to grape selection focuses on showcasing the land, with grapes vinified separately according to cru in a classically inspired style characterised by a strong backbone of acidity and smooth, polished tannins. On the best vintage years only, Fuligni selects a Brunello Riserva which is refined for five years, as per regulation, three and a half of which in wood — the grapes generally coming from the oldest vineyards, making a concentrated, long-living wine of superior quality. The wines age in a restored convent whose cool, cloistered tranquillity provides ideal conditions for the extended élevage. 

The Riserva starts with polished leather and walnut skin before disclosing hints of lavender, anise and freshly turned earth — the structure even denser and drier than the annata, but the fruit also sweeter and more concentrated. A velvety textural wave saturates the palate with salty minerals and tart raspberry fruits, lifted by stunning acidity and cooling herbal tones that create a cascading feel to the crunchy red fruits — structured and dry yet incredibly long and crystalline in nature, lingering on notes of salted liquorice and savoury spice.