WIA Day 3! This was a charmer from the get-go and quickly because a fav amongst Spies and Ops.

BRUNELLO! Big names and big scores don’t come cheap. Or do they? This ethereal bottling found us in VinItaly and charmed us to the core.

And we thought their 2017 Riserva was as good as it gets.

We were wrong. I mean there’s nothing wrong with that Riserva as many of you I’m sure by now have had a chance to appreciate its gorgeousness. But THIS. The ultimate single-vineyard flagship Brunello, is a whole other level, especially in an opulent vintage like 2018. It takes us right back to Vinitaly when we visited their booth:

Luca Belingardi believes in making traditional Brunello expressing its unique terroir in the best possible way, it was his grandfather Pierluigi Tagliabue who created Villa Poggio Salvi in 1979. Pierluigi was in a partnership with Biondi-Santi - yes, that cult winery known as the beacon of classicism in Montalcino. To create the best possible Brunello that truly reflects prized terroir, Belingardi chose Vittorio Fiore, the Director of the Italian Association of Enologists in the 1970s and rightfully credited as “the inventor of the profession of consulting winemaker.” He’s helped make Caparzo, Conti Costanti, Vecchie Terre di Montefili, Poggio Scalette, and many more.

Per Antonio Galloni’s Vinous “Higher elevation and limestone-rich soils are the key to success at Poggio Salvi. This winery and vineyard, close to the town of Montalcino, looks to the northwest, and the wines are produced in a traditional style, aging for 30 months in large Slavonian oak barrels.”

And what did that yield? Ethereal juice that is not far removed from the neighboring Biondi-Santi school of winemaking. With one big difference. Instead of the $300 a pop that you’d be paying, today we have this doppelganger for you at UNDER $50. With 95 points.

You’re welcome, and while it lasts of course.

95 Points – Wine Enthusiast

“The sweet yet distinguished nose leads with notes of dried cherry and roses, then turns umami with aromas of stone, coffee and herbs. On the palate, fresher streaks of cherry and plum emerge, along with a bitter orange undertone, before a citrusy finish. Tannins are taut and youthful, like an athlete in their prime.”