Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Riserva gli Angeli 2015 La Gerla

The La Gerla 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva gli Angeli is a softly textured and fleshed out wine that shows darker and deeper fruit (compared to the 2016 Brunello that I tasted at the same time). This wine makes a great first impression, mostly thanks to that sense of quiet balance. As it opens in the glass, I notice the pretty ripeness of the vintage with dark cherry and summer plum. In all, this Riserva gives us an accessible and rich expression that will perform nicely upon release. Production is 8,560 bottles, and this wine will hit the market in April 2021.

The team at La Gerla has dedicated much effort over the past year to the difficult fight against mal d'esca (the esca grapevine trunk disease) that is a painful and devastating problem for Italian vintners. They have embarked on a three-year research project with a local university to fight this disease. Hats off to Alberto Passeri and his team for their attention to this dangerous malady.

Sweet berries and cherries with flowers, orange peel and hints of leaves. Sandalwood and meat, too. It’s full-bodied with chewy tannins that are polished and beautiful. Great finish. This is really impressive at the end. Best ever? So gorgeous now, but will be even more impressive in two or three years. Try after 2022.

Rich and round, here is a red full of macerated plum and cherry flavors, with almond, leather, spice and earth accents. Firms up on the finish, where the vibrant fruit echoes. Best from 2025 through 2050. 500 cases made.

The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Gli Angeli is drop-dead gorgeous, as it keeps you coming back to the glass over and over to take in its alluring display of rich dark fruits with sweet mint, mulling spice and a grounding hint of flowery undergrowth. Its textures are seamless, coasting across a core of vibrant acids, which enliven its flavors of black cherry and currants. You can almost forget how youthful the 2015 is today, as it comes across as juicy at times. That said, there’s plenty of structure here to carry it for many years in the cellar. Notes of licorice, tobacco and sweet herbs linger long over a gentle coating of fine tannin. This may be dangerously delicious today; yet after just a few years of cellaring, I expect the Riserva Gli Angeli to fully blossom and provide a long and open drinking window.