This is the top-shelf wine from Il Poggione, and it's a must-have bottle for those who collect wines from this celebrated estate. From an icon vintage, the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Paganelli is a beauty. It stands at the intersection of intensity, elegance and power. The fruit is shapely and dense with plenty of blackberry and black cherry, and you also get savory touches of campfire ash, tar, licorice, ferrous earth and balsam herb. Honestly, you get it all, including that distinctive Brunello power and abundance that is not easily achieved with such careful balance. The finish is structured, fresh and long, and with more time in the glass, the leathery or savory aromas become more pronounced (as does the alcohol). Production is 40,000 bottles.

This single-vineyard Riserva delivers a generous, abundant and determined personality. This is Brunello with a capital B. The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Paganelli benefits from a warm and sun-soaked microclimate that is shielded from cold winter winds. You can taste the good health of the grapes thanks to those very direct aromas of black cherry, plum, tar, campfire ash and chalky mineral. The Paganelli vineyard is 12 hectares in size, with vines planted in 1964. The last time this wine was made was in 2012. Fruit from those old vines shape complex aromas, elegant tannins and bright freshness. Despite that handsome DNA, this is another new release from Il Poggione that will require more cellar age. I'd suggest drinking a bottle from this 40,000-bottle release after the 10-year mark.

Here's a beautifully rich and succulent Brunello that drinks very nicely straight out of the gate. The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Paganelli delivers a warm, inviting and velvety presentation. This bold wine is redolent of black cherry and dried blackberry with sweet almond, toasted spice and balsam herb on the long finish. What stands out most, however, is the wine's rich texture that floods the mouth from front to back. That richness is fueled by the warmth of the vintage but also by the magnificent oak integration. This Riserva is aged in botti grandi for four long years. Bottle production is 45,000 strong.

What a treat! The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Paganelli stands out for the extreme purity of its fruit and the profound depth it shows across all the senses. This starts with the wine's appearance, which is bright, saturated, ruby-colored and luminous all at the same time. The aromas emerge from the glass with vertical intensity, imparting fresh notes of wild berry, licorice, balsam herb and dried rose hip. This highly successful vintage stands apart for the power and clarity of fruit it puts so generously on display. If you are lucky enough to own a bottle, I'd store it at the back of your cellar for many more years to come.

A huge, dramatic wine, the 2007 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva literally explodes from the glass. This is a decidedly exuberant, flashy wine loaded with dark fruit. Tobacco, smoke, tar and licorice all come alive in this big, broad-shouldered Riserva. Here, too, the wine’s balance is impeccable. Longtime winemaker Fabrizio Bindocci describes 2008 as a challenging year. The winter saw quite a bit of rain. Flowering was normal, but it was followed by a wet July. Like most of their neighbors, Il Poggione suffered the devastating effects of the August 15 hailstorm that took with it 50% of the production. Proprietor Leopoldo Franceschi happened to be at the estate to celebrate the national holiday, but was so traumatized by the events he vowed never again to set foot on his property on August 15th! When Franceschi has more time to reflect on the quality of his wine, he may change his mind. Longtime winemaker Fabrizio Bindocci and his son Alessandro decided not to bottle their Riserva in 2008, so all of the juice went into the straight Brunello bottling, which is easily one of the wines of the vintage. The next Riserva from Il Poggione will be the 2010. As has long been the custom here, the Brunelli are fermented in stainless steel, with natural yeasts. The malos also occur naturally, after which the wines are moved into 33- and 50-hectoliter French oak casks. The Poggione Brunellos, especially the straight bottling, remain among the very best values in cellar worthy wine anywhere in the world. Importer: Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604 8900