Amongst the approximately 250 producers currently bottling Brunello, La Torre’s wines are not the most well known, nor the most expensive—and historically they have eluded the attention of the international wine press. All that changed with this 2010 vintage. Typically I am offered first dibs on this wine, but with the 2010 vintage I had to fight to receive even a modest allocation because there is such high demand. It’s bittersweet, but the secret is finally out on this small family farm that only bottles a few hundred cases of this outstanding wine each year, all with a simple black and white label that hasn’t changed over my entire career.

Perhaps no wine so uniquely defines Italy like Sangiovese grown in the world famous appellation of Brunello di Montalcino. But the very elements that make these wines so singularly Italian—dark cherry fruit, sanguine intensity, and formidable tannins—also demand the wines see extended rest in the cellar before they can truly shine. So, in seeking out Brunellos to offer on this site, I always look for wines that are not only of superior handmade quality, but also ready to drink now. La Torre always delivers in this regard. Everything at the estate is done slowly and judiciously—including the wines’ release schedule. The end result is a Brunello that arrives in the US long after most of its peers from the same vintage, but in a state that is wide open and ready to drink immediately—and which has sacrificed none of its purity or deeply traditional character. 

The 2010 La Torre Brunello sits in the large Bordeaux glass like a king in his throne. With its dark, opaque, and shining crimson center that extends to a slightly red orange rim, this wine looks as regal and powerful as it tastes. The aromas are stunning as always with La Torre—only perhaps even more expressive and dominant in 2010 than vintages past: black cherry fruit, black currant, black truffle, dark chocolate, espresso, dried rose petals, red clay, and dried wild herbs. This wine’s palate is truly impressive as well: it has intense power, formidable tannins, and a near infinite finish, and all of these elements are assembled in a perfectly layered and detailed mosaic. This is a masterful wine. To enjoy it in peak form, I suggest decanting for 1 hour then serving in large Bordeaux stems at 60 degrees. This wine is perfectly ready to drink now, but it will easily improve beyond the next decade. This is a special wine and if stored properly, I’m quite confident it will become one of the jewels of your cellar.