Padelletti, Brunello di Montalcino, 2013 (750ml)

A late release from the great 2013 vintage, Sangiovese Grosso comes from a single vineyard in the DOC's original core near the village of Montalcino. The site is high in altitude (400 m) and rich in the rocks and minerals that give Sangiovese here its distinctive twist: albarese limestone and galestro marl.

The style is fully traditional, the opposite of the New World imitations that prevailed in Montalcino just a few years ago (and which you still find way too often). There is power, for sure, but the focus here is definitely on elegance and refinement, as well as a clarity of fruit that is distinctly Brunello.