Siro Pacenti Siro Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne 2018 750ml

The nose is decadent but not overdone with plum liqueur, Christmas cake, cedar, Chinese spices, licorice, tea leaves, tar and hot stones. Full and very dense with mouth-coating tannins but also attractive fresh fruit, pretty acidity and a long finish. Rather chewy and needs time, but a beautiful follow-up to the 2012.

Showing more oak definition, texture and overall fruity richness, the 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne benefits from the concentration and complexity you get with old vines. The wine wraps thickly over the palate, imparting luscious aromas of dried cherry, exotic spice, pressed rose and scorched earth along the way. This is a wine for the cellar. The bouquet has a lot to give, but this will require some extra time. All the elements are there for an excellent aging future. Some 27,000 bottles were produced.

Bright and bursting with cherry, currant and berry flavors, this also has a tannic edge, along with tobacco and leafy underbrush notes. The two camps need to reach some sort of détente before this really sings. Best from 2022 through 2035. 2,250 cases made, 480 cases imported. (Bruce Sanderson)

Forest floor, toasted oak, dark spice, new leather and tobacco aromas fill the glass along with a whiff of eucalyptus. The firmly structured concentrated palate shows power and finesse, offering dried black cherry, star anise, coffee bean and grilled sage alongside fresh acidity and close-grained tannins. It’s still youthfully austere and will benefit with several more years spent in the cellar. Drink 2023–2033. (Kerin O’Keefe)

A deeply savory nose opens with aromas of grilled meat and iron-rich soil before revealing balsamic vinegar and graphite and then cranberries and hibiscus. The fruit becomes fuller and lusher on the palate, pushing up against chalky tannins and razor sharp acid.

From old vines, as the wine's name suggests, the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne is spicy and very savory. The bouquet introduces a lot of exotic elements that you won't find in any of its peers. These include cumin, clove and cardamom. These spicy notes frame a core of black fruit. This is a medium to full-bodied Brunello with a big sense of inner power that is underlined by a high 15% alcohol content. It does, however, finish a bit short. Some 18,000 bottles were released.

A perfumed red, featuring smoky cherry, sandalwood, cedar and iron aromas and flavors. Sleek and firmly structured, with an aftertaste echoing fruit, savory and spice elements set against dusty tannins. Best from 2025 through 2039. 1,500 cases made, 500 cases imported.

A savory version, evoking tomato leaf, eucalyptus and wild herb flavors around a core of cherry. Dry, with burly tannins leaving an astringent feel on the finish. Best from 2025 through 2037. 1,500 cases made, 500 cases imported.