The 2009 Rosso di Montalcino is a lush, fruity wine with good body and an attractive personality. The Rosso is aged predominantly in 100-hectoliter barrels, although 30% of the wine is aged in French oak tonneaux. Over the last few years the estate has moved towards a simpler style of Rosso, which is a shame as the older Rossi were wines of real pedigree and class. This is simply a tasty, well-made wine, but not more. Count me among the estate’s fans who miss the more serious style of Rosso that was common here until just a few years ago. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2014. Il Poggione is Montalcino’s fourth largest estate, with an eye-popping 125 hectares of Brunello designated vineyards, behind Banfi, Castelgiocondo and Col d’Orcia. My annual tasting spanned every wine in barrel from 2006-2010. I continue to be deeply impressed by the average level of quality father and son team Fabrizio and Alessandro Bindocci coax from these sites. Frankly, it is hard to go wrong with any of the Brunelli Il Poggione has put into bottle over the last few years. The straight Brunello remains one of the most reasonably priced, cellar-worthy wines in the world. The 2006s are rich, bombastic wines that will require patience to drop their baby fat. The Brunelli are fermented with a submerged cap and pumpovers, an approach that is unusual in Montalcino but common in Piedmont. My visit ended with a taste of the 1955 Brunello, which is still in great shape, even after all these years.Importer: Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604 8900

The 2007 Rosso di Montalcino is a soft, floral wine with pretty red fruits that meld into tobacco, spices and minerals. The wine possesses lovely inner perfume to match its accessible personality. The 2007 is a relatively open vintage for the Rosso, and while I don’t see this vintage making old bones, it should offer highly pleasurable drinking over the next few years at a minimum. In 2007 Bindocci decided to de-stem 70% of the fruit, which yielded an especially soft, approachable wine. Because Rosso is a wine generally made for near-term consumption, its hard to argue with that approach, especially in this economy. Still I miss the firmer style of Rosso the house is capable of. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2017. I was completely blown away by the wines I tasted from Il Poggione this year. Readers who want to experience first-class Sangiovese from Montalcino won’t want to miss these exceptional wines. Winemaker Fabrizio Bindocci and his team have done an exceptional job for which they deserve all the praise in the world.Importer: Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604 8900