Cedar shavings, ground cloves and dried black cherries form a darkly alluring bouquet as the 2021 Rosso di Montalcino Ciampoleto opens in the glass. It's silky smooth with depths of tart red berry fruits offset by orange hints and a mineral tinge that adds further complexity. The 2021 finishes long and staining with a cranberry crunchiness as traces of licorice fade. This racy rendition of Ciampoleto is gorgeous today but with the balance to age gracefully over the next five to ten years.

Leather and cured meat join cherries and chocolate with a hint of orange zest and then a blast of wild herbs on the nose. The palate is lush with cherry-chocolate but structured by firm tannins and lifted by acid and warming spice on the finish.