91+(?) 1997 Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino 12/30/12 ($45)
100% Sangiovese 13% alc
Color: Deep garnet with slight browning at rime, no clearing to speak of. (3.5) Bouquet: Flowers and minerals with dusty black cherry and black plum. A little clay and red meat. (3.5) Body: Light heavyweight with excellent acidity and fruit with some smooth tannins. (3.0) Flavor: Bitter stewed cherry, cedar and mineral. Not quite as attractive as the bouquet. (3.0) Finish: Parallels flavor. (3.0)
Overall: Rich, tasty Sangiovese that's ready to go with bitter/sweet stewed cherry and black plum fruit supported by Tuscan dusty/mineral flavors. Also has nuances of clay and red meat with some cedar. An excellent Brunello, showing more fruit than the '97 Lisini I tasted recently which showed prominent tannins, but I'd still like to see more complexity in this one. Might improve in the next few years. (16.0)
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