Brunello di Montalcino Pian delle Vigne Antinori 2021 (750ML)

Pian delle Vigne is named for the area around a nineteenth-century railway station 6 kilometers southwest of Montalcino, and has belonged to Antinori since its first vintage, 1995. Of its 184 hectares, 65 are vineyard, facing southwest at about 130 meters. The 2021 is Sangiovese, fermented in stainless steel with some 12 days on the skins, then aged two years in oak casks of 30 to 80 hectoliters. Late pruning held back budbreak ahead of the April 7 cold snap; a hot, dry summer gave way to cooling late-August rain and unhurried ripening, with picking in the second half of September. Blood orange, loquat and yellow blossom meet raspberry, menthol and tobacco, and the palate is supple and bright, with refined tannins and a persistent, spice-edged finish. Critics see it hitting its stride from the mid-to-late 2020s into the 2030s. It shines alongside roast guinea fowl, tagliata or porcini crostini.