2018 CASTELLO ROMITORIO ROSSO DI MONTALCINO "The 2018 Castello Romitorio Rosso di Montalcino takes time to blossom in the glass, yet it is totally worth the wait. A pretty and understated display of cherry and strawberry mixed with dusty earth, roses and hints of undergrowth opens nicely. Soft, silky textures flood the palate with ripe red and hints of blue fruit, sweet yet perfectly contrasted by saline-minerality, along with hints of fine tannin that slowly mount toward the close. The finish is remarkably long, as notes of dried wild berries, blueberry skins and hints of violet florals linger." 91 Points "Limpid garnet color, translucent. Appetizing nose so typical for Sangiovese: the tangy aroma of Marasca cherry. With increasing bottle age, this cherry fruit turns from fresh and crisp to mellow and dried, in the young wines the fruit is pristine, varying in intensity with each vintage. The body is sinewy and bone-dry: not a prettified, mollified Sangiovese but a wine as rugged as the land. There is fine, bright acidity and a lovely tannic grip. This has impact but is not heavy. A little age sits wonderfully on this rustic charmer: bottle age will give you scents of leather, wild thyme and polished wood.” Anne Krebiehl MW