Poggio di Sotto Rosso di Montalcino 2016

94 points - Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, January 2019

The 2016 Rosso di Montalcino (with 18,000 bottles made) is a beautiful wine that could certainly rival full-fledged Brunello from some of the best estates in the appellation. This is especially true in the case of this vintage that over performs from all points of view. Poggio di Sotto makes a concerted effort to promote its Rosso as a stand-alone wine, and not as a little sister or Brunello inferior. Specific investments have been made to differentiate the Rosso program, and well, you might notice the expensive price point. Is the wine worth it? You can purchase some of Montalcino’s best Brunellos for less than this. However, there is a unique level of primary fruit intensity here with bold fruit aromas of cassis and wild raspberry that you would never get in a wine that ages as long as Brunello does. This is a fresh and forward wine that delivers impressive complexity and depth. The context is young fruit, not evolved fruit. In a sense, this wine embodies the true philosophy of Rosso di Montalcino more than any of its peers. The wine is not less important than Brunello, but it does strive to display Sangiovese at a different moment in its lifeline. - Monica Larner