Brunello di Montalcino Le Lucere DOCG 2011 San Filippo

Aged two years in oak, the 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Le Lucére is expressive and deep with thick lines and a profound sense of extraction. This is a lovely wine that occupies a special place on the opulent side of the Brunello spectrum. Of course, the amazing quality of fruit in 2010 has given winemakers more variables and raw material to play with. The wine shows dark concentration and an impenetrable appearance. Dried fruit, clove, nutmeg and toasted almond segue to cola, licorice and pressed rose petal. The mouthfeel is sweet and chewy but the overall effect is spectacular. This wine marks a huge improvement over past efforts.

San Filippo makes an impressive statement in 2010. The Brunello Le Lucére is one of the protagonists of the vintage and is a wine that captures a rare side of the Sangiovese grape. It is explosive, powerful and rich. Like the other great wines of the vintage, this Brunello proves the potential of everyone's favorite Tuscan red grape.

Fresh cherry and berry flavors lead to leather, tobacco and herbal notes in this focused, balanced red. Though firmly structured, everything is in the right proportions here, with a long aftertaste. Best from 2019 through 2034.

The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Le Lucere is even oakier than the straight Brunello, except here, the fruit is dried out and the tannins are searing to the maximum. Hints of cedar, smoke and tobacco are suffocated by the oak.