2004 Frescobaldi, Luce della Vite - Brunello di Montalcino

2004 Luce Brunello di Montalcino:
After a growing season that fluctuated back and forth and required painstaking vineyard supervision, the results could not have been better. A mild spring and cool summer encouraged a gradual, constant ripening process for the grapes, avoiding heat stress. Veraison took place in the first weekend of August and therefore harvest started a few days later than the average over the last few years. Tuscany generally saw a 5-10% decline in crop compared with recent harvests. Despite a somewhat challenging harvest period, the final balance is quite positive, since the fruit brought into the cellar was of excellent quality. Sunny, breeze-filled days in late September brought good levels of concentration to the grapes, healthy fruit and perfect phenolic ripeness; together these qualities yielded a powerful wine with fine structure and expressive tannins.
The wine appears an intense ruby red, with even deeper highlights. Aromas of ripe fruit predominate on the nose, particularly crisp red-fleshed fruit, such as plum and bright cherry; they gradually yield to floral notes of violets, and to spicy impressions of black pepper, mixed with a hint of pencil lead. Sensations of cocoa powder and black liquorice, typical of a wine undergoing evolution in the bottle, enrich the bouquet throughout its course. It exhibits significant warmth and mouthfilling allure on the palate, thanks to vibrant, still-youthful tannins, classic to Sangiovese. The entire progression manifests a rich fruit and an emphatic yet judicious alcohol; the finish is marked by an impressive, multi- layered complexity. Overall, this is a strikingly rich wine with a very lengthy development.