The 2005 Brunello di Montalcino is surprisingly dark in profile for this bottling. A sweet, Pinot-like bouquet leads to perfumed black cherries, spices, licorice and tobacco. This mid-weight, graceful Brunello offers gorgeous balance, with an expressive core of fruit that flows through to a long, refined close. The 2005 is one of best versions of this wine I have tasted in some time. In 2005 the estate did not make either their Riserva (usually a selection of barrels in the cellar) or their La Casa single-vineyard selection, and the addition of that fruit here undoubtedly contributes to the wine’s overall sense of harmony. The rest of the fruit was sourced from the Il Cassero and Caparzo vineyards. Though not a blockbuster, this is a very elegant Brunello. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020. Rated 92. ‑ Antonio Galloni, Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s The Wine Advocate Issue 188, April, 2010

Plum and ripe berry notes, with hints of strawberry jam, follow through to a full body, with a solid core of ripe fruit, chewy yet polished tannins and a long finish. This is deep and rich. Best after 2012. 8,335 cases made. Rated 92. ‑ JS, Wine Spectator

The estate's 2004 Brunello di Montalcino Pianrosso possesses striking depth as endless layers of sweet, perfumed fruit emerge with tons of grace. This, too, is an intense, full-bodied wine. The balance here is utterly exceptional, and the wine's sheer plumpness makes for a highly rewarding glass of Brunello. Succulent dark cherries, spices, underbrush, minerals and new leather come to life as the wines sits in the glass, yet this remains a backward, structured Brunello in need of serious bottle age. Rated 94. ‑ Antonio Galloni, Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s The Wine Advocate Issue 183, June, 2009

Good deep red. Plum, spicecake and chocolatey oak on the nose; just this side of roasted. Then sweeter, deeper and more pliant than the basic release, with a chewier texture and an almost liqueur-like richness to its fruit. As big and lush as this is, it's got very good supporting spine and is not at all overly sweet. Finishes with excellent length. Rated 91. ‑ Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar July/August 2009

The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Paganelli emerges from the glass with masses of scorched earth, leather, tar, licorice, menthol and dark fruit. The Riserva shows a touch more inner sweetness, richness and depth in its fruit than the regular bottling, plus a bit more French oak as well. For now, the Riserva is quite reticent and requires air, but with time its awesome richness and power come through in spades. This dark, brooding and authoritative Riserva from Il Poggione is simply gorgeous. Readers who don’t want to pay the premium for the Riserva in 2004 need not worry; I tasted the 2004 regular bottling (twice!) while preparing this article and it is every bit as promising as my review last year suggested. In 2004 the Paganelli vineyard was harvested on the 13th of October, quite late for this estate. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2039. Rated 96. ‑ Antonio Galloni, Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s The Wine Advocate Issue 188, April 2010

Offers ripe blueberry notes, with hints of violet, lilac and sandalwood. Full-bodied, with supersilky tannins and a long, fresh finish. Not a big wine, but balanced and pretty. Best after 2011. 3,335 cases made. Rated 92. ‑ JS, Wine Spectator June 15, 2010

Good full, bright red. Pungent, high-pitched aromas of redcurrant, red cherry, rose petal, minerals and leather, lifted by a spicy component; rather Burgundian. Suave, silky, dry and classic; offers plenty of stuffing without obvious weight. This refined wine really saturates the palate with perfumed flavors of redcurrant, leather, mocha and underbrush. Has the juicy acidity and the firm tannic spine to support a slow and successful evolution in bottle. Very classy sangiovese. Rated 92. ‑ Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar Issue 145, July/August 2009

Lisini’s 2004 Brunello di Montalcino is a racy, sleek wine loaded with super-ripe dark fruit. This is a fairly immediate style for this producer, yet the wine is highly pleasurable for the integrity of its fruit and its round, enveloping personality. Clean, minerally notes frame the finish, giving the wine a lovely sense of balance and proportion. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024. Rated 93. ‑ Antonio Galloni, Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s The Wine Advocate Issue 183, June, 2009

Bright medium red. Knockout nose suggests a wine of strong extract and extends one's Brunello vocabulary: cherry, peach pit, licorice, lead pencil, honey, jasmine, botanical herbs, you name it. Dry, classic and sharply delineated, conveying a strong impression of energy allied with great delicacy. This manages to be very ripe, broad and silky and at the same time virtually weightless. Finishes sweet, pliant, minerally and very long. With aeration, though, this shut down dramatically in my glass and showed a leathery element. One for the cellar. Rated 93(+?). ‑ Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar Issue 145, July/August 2009

High-toned aromatics lead to a firm, taut expression of fruit in Costanti’s 2004 Brunello di Montalcino. Wild herbs, red cherries, tobacco and flowers are just some of the nuances that emerge from this chiseled, traditionally-made Brunello. The wine possesses gorgeous length and finessed tannins that provide lovely balance. Today the wine is clenched and unexpressive, but it should come together in bottle. That said, numerous bottles of this Brunello have failed to deliver the magic I found when I tasted the wine from tank prior to bottling. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024. Rated 90. ‑ Antonio Galloni, Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s The Wine Advocate Issue 183, June 2009

Rich and subtle, delivering plum, berry and ripe strawberry character, with dried mushroom undertones. Full, with a ripe, velvety tannin backbone and beautiful fruit. Features coffee and berries on the finish, with bright acidity. Best after 2011. 2,500 cases made. Rated 92. ‑JS, http://www.winespectator.com

Shows a complex nose of blackberry, tanned leather, sandalwood and cedar. Fascinating. Full-bodied, with supersilky tannins and a long, long finish. Concentrated yet balanced. Beautiful and complete. Best after 2011. 17,000 cases made. Top 100, 2009. Rated 95. ‑ JS, Wine Spectator

The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino is a big, super-ripe wine bursting with fruit. This deep, concentrated Brunello is incredibly fresh and vibrant. Although the sweet tannins make the wine very accessible at this stage, readers in search of a more complex drinking experience will want to give this Brunello a few years in bottle. The 2004 Brunello from Castelgiocondo is a lovely effort from the Frescobaldi family and one of the finest vintages to be produced at the property. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2022. Rated 90. ‑ Antonio Galloni, Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s The Wine Advocate Issue 183, June, 2009

100% Pinot Noir fruit grown in clay, limestone, sand and gravel soils in the commune of Mazon. The wine undergoes a temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel and is aged for one year in large oak barrels. Lively ruby red color; discreet aromas that would conjur sub-Alpine forest floor, woodland berry and cherry fruits and a touch of spice, all forming an harmonious bouquet; medium-light in body but fuller and rounder with air; at once both crisp and tantalizing, elegant and poised on the palate with a delicate and discreet flavors that last long on the finish.

"Rain Riesling" is produce of Riesling grapes harvested from 15 to 20 year old vines planted at elevations of 600 to 650 meters in the south-facing "Rain" vineyard located on the western slope of the Adige river valley, in Penon above the village of Cortaccia, northeastern Italy. Here, where alpine and Mediterranean climates meet, the soils are sandy, gravelly moraine and limestone-rich, and there are the seemingly ever important to fine winegrowing and refreshing swings in temperature from day to night. Fermented in stainless steel, followed by maturation on the fine lees for 4 months prior to bottling. Brilliant straw yellow in color with a light green shimmer; pure and noble Riesling aromas suggest peach and apricot and things Alpine floral and mineral; light on its feet on entry, then medium-bodied and just round on the tongue, with a refreshing reprise of those first enticing aromas bursting forth in flavor, fully dry, pleasingly intense, persistent and piquant. Right as Rain? Right as Riesling!

Produce of 92% Sangiovese and 8% Merlot harvested in the Colli Senesi, southeast of Siena and northeast of Montepulciano. Deep, purple-flecked ruby red in colour; discreet aromas suggest wild berry, cherry, dusty earth, saddle leather and a touch of spice; smoothly textured on entry, medium-bodied with crisp light dusty tannins that tantalize and refresh with dusty earth and berryish flavor. Superlative value in Tuscan Sangiovese-based wine.

Made from 100% single-vineyard Trebbiano di Lugana harvested from the San Benedetto parcel on the south shore of Lake Garda and fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel. Pale straw yellow in color with emerald highlights; aromas of peach, citrus, and herbs; round and ripe, supple and flavorful on the tongue; beautifully sustained by a crisp fresh acidity.

A blend of 80% Corvina, 10% Rondinella and 10% Sangiovese from the Valpolicella Classico area. Ruby-red in color to garnet at the rim; fleshy aromas of wild berries, currant, black cherry and spice, with hints of chocolate; robust, full and dry on the tongue with characteristic velvety texture.

This splendid Veronese red wine from Zenato is long a favorite here in the greater beautiful downtown Austin, Texas area. Produce of 80% Corvina Veronese, 10% Rondinella and 10% Sangiovese grown in the southeast-facing hillsides of the commune of Sant’Ambrogio, the wine takes its name from the method in which it is produced, after the old fashion of the greatest red wine of the Veneto region, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, wherein selected lots of Valpolicella are "repassed" over the lees of Amarone, initiating a second fermentation, increasing the volume, breadth and depth of flavor in the wine, taking it from something really good to something more approaching greatness. Deep ruby red in color with inviting aromas suggestive of dried cherries and raisined grapes with hints of rose petal and white pepper; smooth and velvety-textured on the tongue with gentle but firm grip of ripe, rounded fruity tannins and a lingering warm and flavorful finish.

Created in 1964 with what noted wine writer Hugh Johnson called an ingenious technique, Campofiorin is a wine produced by a reinterpretation of an ancient vinification system used in Verona and technically known as refermentation, that is, ripasso, yielding a class of wines somewhere between the elegant simplicity of Valpolicella and the complex richness of Amarone. Produce of 70% Corvina, 25% Rondinella and 5% Molinara grapes grown in deep alluvial terrain on eocenic limestone in the torrential valleys of the Veronese hills, Masi Campofiorin is fermented twice, the second time with a portion of dried grapes, the wine gaining in colour, richness, alcoholic strength, extraction of aroma and soft, elegant tannins and, not least of all, flavor. Lovely translucent ruby in color; alluring aromas suggest rose petals, dried red and blue fruits, cinnamon and vanilla bean; super smooth, somewhere between silk and velvet; airy light and easy on the senses, yet at the same time challenging and stimulating with a gentle astringency and subtle flavors of berries and spice that go long on the finish.

The 2004 Le Pergole Torte (100% Sangioveto) is a special wine. Beautiful dark cherry, spice, mineral and menthol nuances emerge from its layered, beautiful frame. It shows outstanding depth buttressed by finessed, silky tannins in a classic, medium-bodied style. Today the wine remains very primary. The full breadth of its expression will come only with extended cellaring. Readers seeking instant gratification or who want to be blown away by sheer concentration will likely find more pleasure in other wines from this great vintage. Those who are willing to invest the time to appreciate this wine’s elegance, finesse and textural beauty will be amply rewarded with a superb bottle of wine. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2029. Rated 94. ‑ Antonio Galloni, Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s The Wine Advocate Issue 177, June 2008

Angelo Gaja and long-time oenologist Guido Rivella produced some of the most monumental wines of their long, storied partnership in 2004. Although I admire Gaja’s wines, especially for their consistency, I rarely find them this emotionally moving and utterly profound. The stable weather and cool, tempering evenings towards the end of the growing season allowed Gaja and Rivella to harvest fairly late in 2004. I remember passing by Gaja’s Barbaresco vineyards in October of that year and seeing fruit still waiting to be picked long after most producers had already brought the fruit in. Gaja’s 2004s from Barbaresco are especially breathtaking for their clarity and precision... "Historically in Piedmont there has been an inverse relationship between quality and quantity. Great vintages like 1961 and 1989 were characterized by low yields," says Gaja. "2004 is one of those rare vintages like 1964 and 1990 where quality is high even though yields were generous as well. I think 2004 is a very elegant vintage. It is much easier to achieve opulence in the wines, but finesse is always much more elusive." The 2004 Barbaresco reveals fresh, perfumed aromatics that lead to layers of crushed flowers, spices and sweet raspberries. This is a wine of rare class, elegance and pure breed. It offers outstanding length and silky, elegant tannins to round out the inviting finish. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2024. Rated 93. ‑ Antonio Galloni, Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s The Wine Advocate Issue 173, October 2007