2016 Capanna Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG

Powerful, bright garnet red. Rich, very appealing nose with notes of ripe raspberries and fresh plums, some liquorice and subtle savoury notes in the background. Grippy, finely meshed tannins on the palate, multi-layered, salty, good tension, very long finish. ~98 Falstaff

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva wafts up with a classic Capanna profile, rich yet elegant, with masses of crushed black cherries, sweet herbs, cloves and hints of cigar box. This is velvety yet not weighty, with a salty core of minerals and brisk acids that enliven its citrus-tinged red berries and exotic inner spice. While persistent and structured, the 2016 keeps you coming back to the glass, savory and saline in character with grippy tannins, but also a tug of residual tension that keeps the expression unexpectedly fresh. This is a tremendous Brunello Riserva in the making, and all it needs is time. ~96 Vinous Media

This has a gorgeous nose of orange zest, hazelnuts, cherry blossom, cherry stones, peaches, cedar and some spearmint. Firm, dense and structured, with a wealth of fruit and fragrance. Lengthy. Still tight and chewy. Best from 2025. ~95 James Suckling

The Capanna 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva reveals a medium-dark ruby color and shiny intensity. This Riserva is balanced and quite beautiful, showing that sharp clarity and freshness that only Sangiovese can deliver in cool and balanced vintages such as this. To the palate, the wine is rather restrained, showing a mid-weight approach and lots of crisp acidity on the close. This Riserva needs more time to open and a few more years of cellar aging. Fruit selection for this wine prioritizes the best clusters with smaller berries and looser bunches that are more resistant to damp and disease. The finished wine ages in large oak casks for four years. Production is 14,272 bottles. ~94+ Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

Established by the Cencioni family in 1957, Capanna now boasts 20 hectares of southeast-facing vineyards in the area of Montosoli. Selected from the oldest vines, the Riserva is aged in 10- to 25-hectolitre Slavonian oak casks. It is immediately seductive in its aromas of dried leaves, wet forest and sandalwood - yet suggests that there is more to come. Lustrous cherry is studded with sage on the dense palate. This is generous but cinched in the right places, while substantial, chewy tannins are ultimately yielding. Will be better in a few years. ~94 Decanter