Wine: 2004 Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino
Region: Tuscany
Sokolin Price: $54.95/btl
Rating: 95 RP
The 2004 Brunellos are red hot right now and we found a near perfect 95 point wine for less than $55 that we tried just last night. It was so extraordinary that we had to share it with you immediately! The 2004 Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino is bursting at the seams with notes of dark fruit, spice and chocolate covered cherries, and it coats the palate like velvet. This wine is drinking fabulously now and will last another 20+ years. It's really a gem, and for those of you who have been buying wine for years, you know how difficult is to find a 95 point wine at this price. 2004 Brunellos of this pedigree and rating command much higher prices.
These days, we are all looking for value wines that we can share with family and friends without feeling like we overpaid for the bottle. In our last article, we reviewed and shared with you our thoughts on the 2007 Frescobaldi Tenuta di Castiglioni, which was priced at $14.95 / btl and was given 93 points by Wine Spectator. We cautioned our readers that it would not last. And our prediction rang true - we sold every last bottle we had in less than one week. We had to actually order more (arriving in January). We have a hunch that the same will happen with this wine given the point-to-price ratio and the buzz around the 2004 Brunellos.
Our recommendation: This a classic example of first-class Sangiovese which surpasses many wines of the same price point. It is in-stock and ready to ship in time for the holidays, but don't wait to pick up the phone or email your sales broker. There are just a few shipping days left before the holidays come and go, and it's absolutely a wine worth buying and sipping around your fireplace this season. It's even worth spending the few extra dollars to overnight it.