The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino is a beautiful wine laced with red berries, flowers and subtle hints of earthiness. Soft and supple throughout, the Brunello shows lovely juiciness in its fruit and a delicate, understated personality. The 2006 represents yet another step in the more elegant, refined direction the estate has taken in recent years. The 2006 Brunello was aged in equal parts cask and French oak barrels. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2020. A renewed focus on quality is in the air at Banfi. A new sorting table and smaller, custom-designed tanks that allow for parcel-by-parcel vinification were added for the 2007 harvest, and the first results seem promising. I tasted a number of single-clone and single-vineyard Brunelli from the 2009 vintage that showed beautifully, while an approximate blend of the 2007 Brunello was also strong. It will be fascinating to watch the direction Montalcino’s largest and best-known estate takes over the coming years. Importer: Banfi Vintners, Glen Head, NY; tel. (516) 626-9200

Smooth and round, this red offers cherry, bitter almond, spice and woodsy notes. The tannins are dense, but this is balanced overall and lingers on the finish. Best from 2013 through 2022. 45,830 cases made, 5,500 cases imported.??–BS??Region: Italy / Brunello di Montalcino Select to Add

Castello Banfi’s 2006 Brunello opens with smooth and soft cherry flavors and is packed tight with background aromatics that include tobacco, cola, leather and more dark fruit. The wine’s texture is silky, crisp and long-lasting. ——M.L.(4/1/2011)—— 92