Weekends are the best time to enjoy wine, and after three days of a relentless wind storm battering Long Island, I was looking forward to enjoying a good bottle. My brother's collection was looking good this weekend, but I'm always hesitant to pick something that is expensive or irreplaceable. It was his turn to choose, and when he pulled out that bottle of 2004 Poggio Il Castellare Brunello, I was overjoyed.
The 2004 Brunellos have been drinking extremely well, and I knew this was going to be a great bottle, but it wasn't great... It was AMAZING. Not even the minor windstorm outside, which was hurling leaves, tree branches, and smart cars around the yard, could come close to disturbing the tranquility inside, once this beautiful, silky wine was popped open. A wonderful aroma of black fruit seemed to stream out as if it were a genie that had floated out of a lamp that was just rubbed. My only wish? was that this bottle had an endless amount of liquid inside.
At first taste, this wine shocked me with a robust, velvety flavor of black fruit and cherry as if it were a hard coated candy with a juicy middle that spewed out when bit into. It was completely mouth filling and silky right from the beginning. I was entirely impressed, and quickly looked at the bottle to see if this really was a 2004 brunello and not mistakenly an '01 or '97 vintage that had come to life with many years of cellaring. Indeed this was an over-achieving effort for such a young wine.
An hour later, the Castellare had picked up weight, becoming more complex, wafting hints of truffles, roasted meats, and buttered toast about as if it were the atmosphere of a 5-star New York City restaurant. The palate remained subtle, ultra silky and completely mouth watering. It was entirely hard to resist, even though it was only a matter of moments in between sips.
To say that this wine was unbelievably silky smooth would be an understatement. If Pantene Pro-V did a commercial for this wine, I still don't think they could twirl, glisten or illustrate the silkiness of this sweet nectar appropriately. I'd love to tell you more about what else my taste buds enjoyed while swishing this around my mouth, but it seems as though, once the wine touched my palate, my brain had reached Euphoria, and all functions shut down, leaving my notepad blank.
If there is such a thing as liquid silk, I think that Il Poggio Il Castellare has perfected it, and has put it in a wine bottle with their label on it. An ultra sleek 2004 Brunello drinking already, and with so many years ahead of it? this is certainly a star of the vintage. Coming in at # 11 on the Wine Spectator Top 100, and appropriately, the #1 Brunello is no surprise. 96 Points, a small price tag and the pure elegance of this wine make it a truly amazing treasure: no genie necessary, just call Sokolin now.
2004 Poggio Il Castellare Brunello di Montalcino
96 Wine Spectator
$69.95 Buy Now