Banfi Brunello di Montalcino Poggio Alle Mura 2019

Black-cherry, ash, bark and dried dark-mushroom aromas follow through to a medium to full body with a solid sense of tannin and acidity. Polished and focused. Needs time to soften a bit, but shows fascinating oyster-shell and iodine undertones. Best in three or four years.

The Castello Banfi 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio alle Mura is a bold expression, with rich concentration and dark fruit flavors. Everything is bigger in this vintage, including the alcohol content, which measures a high 15.5%. You feel the wine's textural heft and its thick weaving of back fruits and savory spice. I like the taste profile of 2019, but the heat does subtract from the finer nuances of Sangiovese.

Full of bright cherry and raspberry flavors, this round red delivers a lot of immediate appeal, yet also boasts a solid layer of supportive tannins. Wild herb, iron and tobacco accents chime in on the extended finish, showing terrific balance and finesse. Best from 2027 through 2042. 6,100 cases made, 500 cases imported.

The dark magenta 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Poggio Alle Mura is compact and rich on the nose with notes of black cherry, licorice, graphite, and pine sap. It is lighter on its feet than the nose might suggest, although it's full-bodied, with its tannins expanding and building through the midpalate and finish, and it has good length. It takes on an earthier tone through the finish leaving a gripping sensation, and it's going to benefit from a few years in the cellar before drinking. Drink 2026-2036.

The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Poggio alle Mura smolders up from the glass with a dark blend of grilled herbs and ashen stones enshrouding crushed wild berries. It washes across the palate with silky textures and ripe red and blue fruits, guided by juicy acidity. Dark chocolate and autumnal spice amass toward the close. The Poggio alle Mura finishes structured and dry, leaving a chewy wood tannin concentration and a bitter tinge that curls the tongue. There is real potential here, yet it will be many years before these hulking tannins mellow.