Today’s wine comes from one of the most charming locations in the Montalcino wine zone, enjoying a panoramic view of what seems to be the entirety of Tuscany, but there’s something more mundane, more transactional, that needs to be said right out of the gate: Collectible wines of this quality, at this price, are incredibly rare. Perched at about 450 meters on the southeastern slope of the Montalcino hill, La Màgia not only embraced organic farming long before it was fashionable here but has been a reliable source of some of the most evocative, traditionally styled Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino wines in the zone—wines with some of the rusticity and wildness that distinguished those of the great Gianfranco Soldera.

The only problem with La Màgia has been finding the wines; it’s been an on-again, off-again love affair for me thanks to the vagaries of the export market, but after “re-discovering” the wines at a trade tasting about a year ago, I felt like a long-lost friend had come back into my life. While so many producers in Montalcino have opted for more viscous, ink-hued expressions of Montalcino Sangiovese, the Schwarz family of La Màgia has kept its edge, so to speak, continuing to showcase the woodsy, spicy, structured side of the variety. Most of the properties in Montalcino are dominated by woodland, with vineyards peeking out here and there, and this Brunello takes you right into that thicket in the most delicious way. And in the 2015, you get an extra dose of concentration—I’d say the stars are aligned on this one, so don’t hesitate, because we don’t have much to share!

The La Màgia property is indeed magical, but as the Schwarzes point out, the name doesn’t derive from the Italian for “magic” but from an older word magione, which is kind of a Tuscan version of maison (the accent over the first “a,” rather than the “i,” creates the distinction). The estate was founded in the early 1970s by Harald Schwarz, a native of the Alto Adige region who was blown away by Montalcino’s natural beauty; the high-elevation vineyards overlook the famed Abbey of Sant’Antimo and the key natural landmark of the region, Monte Amiata, further to the south. The family’s crown jewel, now overseen by Harald’s son, Fabian, is a contiguous 15-hectare block of Sangiovese vines exceeding 40 years of age.

Fabian studied at the Istituto Agrario San Michele all’Adige, in his father’s home region, which is arguably the most prestigious enology school in Italy—but the La Màgia wines are all about transparency and varietal trueness. Whether it’s Brunello or Rosso di Montalcino, these wines hew to the more traditional dimensions of Sangiovese—they lean more towards garnet-red in color, with more of an emphasis on perfume and tension than power and extract. In other words, they taste of the place, not of the winemaker or his chosen aging vessel.

Not that we’re going to skimp on the technical details: It starts with Certified Organic farming and continues with a recently remodeled, solar-powered winery facility. Vinification takes place in a mix of stainless steel and large-scale oak vats, followed by 36 months of aging in 500-liter French oak tonneaux, one-third of which are new. Given the choice of aging vessel, you might expect something slicker and more chocolatey, but the La Màgia house style always captures the brambly, spicy side of the Sangiovese grape, even in its “bigger” Brunello format: In the glass, the wine displays a deep garnet-red core moving to pink and orange at the rim, with aromas of black cherry, tangy woodland berries, black plum, anise, espresso grounds, dark chocolate, leather, and underbrush. Given the conditions in 2015, this is perhaps the ripest, densest version of this Brunello I’ve ever tasted, with more near-term approachability: Decant it 60 minutes before serving and you’re in for a treat right now and over the next 5-7 years before it begins to enter the next phase of its maturity. Serve it at 60 degrees in large Bordeaux stems with a nice big ribeye, a “tomahawk” steak, or some Texas-style BBQ ribs. This is a big, gutsy, authentic Tuscan red. Enjoy it accordingly!