Acclaim

So much ash and dried-strawberry character. Burnt orange-peel undertones. Tar, too. It’s full-bodied with chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Lots of rose petals. This needs four or five years to open, but nicely integrated now. Try after 2024. -James Suckling, Mar. 2021

This is a powerful red with a full body and lots of dried fruit, walnuts, smoke and dried flowers. Asphalt and tar, too. It’s full and very layered with round, chewy tannins and a rich finish. Needs time to soften and open. Try after 2024.” -James Suckling, Mar. 2021

Aromas of dried strawberries, orange peel and white truffles follow through to a full-bodied, compact and tight palate with fine, dusty tannins and an intense finish. Hints of chocolate and toffee at the end. Really complex. Drink after 2024.” -James Suckling, Mar. 2021

This savory stunner has enticing scents of violet, rose and wild berry that gain complexity alongside notes of leather, camphor and sandalwood. The elegantly structured palate is all about precision, featuring juicy cherry, blood orange, star anise and tobacco framed in taut, refined tannins. Bright acidity keeps it energized. Drink 2024–2046. Cellar Selection.

Enticingly fragrant, this opens with heady aromas of rose, violet, new leather, truffle and balsamic whiffs of camphor. Vibrant and focused, the chiseled, elegant palate is all about finesse, delivering bright red cherry, orange zest, licorice and white pepper framed in taut, refined tannins. Bright acidity keeps it superbly balanced and fresh. It’s already drinking beautifully but hold for even more complexity. Drink 2024–2036. Cellar Selection.

A deep dark red with orange hues, the 2001 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva makes an impactful statement from start to finish. There are depths of crushed black cherries, plums, strawberries, sweet spices and mentholated herbs which rise up effortlessly from the glass. Further coaxing adds notes of cedar, dusty rose and hints of animal musk. It’s silky in feel yet quickly firms up through a mix of tart red berries, minerals, zesty acids and an unbelievably youthful coating of tannin which mounts toward the close. The 2001 Riserva is still on a steady path to its peak, structured and primary, as it tapers off with a grippy feel under an air of inner florals. Sampled from the winery’s cellar. Drinking window: 2022 – 2034

The 2001 Costanti Brunello di Montalcino Riserva displays a rich, autumnal and sweetly alluring bouquet. It shows ripe black cherries dipped in dark chocolate, with spice orange peel, hints of brown sugar and candied ginger. It’s ripe and extroverted on the nose, as silky textures flesh out across the palate delivering pure red fruits with inner rose, framed by saline-minerals and brisk acids. The finish is long and focused on tension, tugging at the cheeks with residual tannins. While there is already a good amount of pleasure to be found here, it appears that this 2001 Brunello needs more time to fully resolve its tannins, and I have to wonder if the fruit is up to the test of time. Tasted from my own collection held in professional storage. Drinking window: 2021 – 2028