Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino 2017

Plenty of complexity to this, with cherry, plum, blackberry and hints of cedar and stone. Full-bodied with layered, velvety tannins and a flavourful finish. Punctuated and defined for the 2017 vintage. Drinkable now, but it will be better after 2023.

The Fuligni 2017 Brunello di Montalcino is a beautiful wine that shines a much-deserved spotlight on one of the most consistent estates in Montalcino. It is bright and luminous with a dark ruby shine. The bouquet reveals deeply layered tones of red cherry, wild berry, rose, earth and candied violets. Give the wine an extra twirl or two, and you get some rosemary and lavender. Soft dusty minerals and limestone also appear. I'd put this bottle on a short list of the most recommended bottles from the 2017 vintage.

At 420 metres in Montalcino's northeast, the Fuligni estate expands over 100 hectares and 14 vineyards. Location provided some reprieve from the heat in 2017, and harvesting for Brunello began in mid-September. When I tasted this in September 2021, just three months after bottling, it was still very closed in its aromas. With coaxing, exotic suggestions of curry and anise surfaced furtively and eventually, intrinsic ripeness became apparent. Nevertheless, the fruit remains fresh rather than macerated. A full and vigorous expression with grainy tannins that stretch out across the palate.

This has aromas of camphor, cedar and oak-driven spice. On the tight, rather assertive palate, a backbone of fine-grained tannins underscore dried cherry, prune, licorice and tobacco.