2006 Campogiovanni - Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese - Italy - Tuscany - Brunello di Montalcino - Red

Good full medium red. Aromas of currant, marzipan, dried rose, mocha and milk chocolate. Sweet and supple, with subtle acidity giving shape to the soil-inflected flavors of dark berries, mocha, marzipan and chestnut. Fine tannins give grip to the back end and dust the front teeth. (An earlier sample had edgier acidity and seemed drier and less complex, meriting 88 points.)

Very deep, concentrated ruby with the beginning of orange on very small rim. Powerful nose of oak and lifted dark and red fruit. There is abundance of concentration here, so it can stand up to the oak. Initially a little doubt whether there is premature oxidation (touch of browning apple). But high acidity will prove to be its lifeline. Still unsettled on the finish, with drying (oak?) tannin. (WS)

The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino Campogiovanni is one the bigger, bolder wines of the year. The fruit shows impressive depth and richness, but it is the French oak that ultimately dominates the flavor and textural profile. Dark cherries, new leather, black olives and toasted French oak follow through on the building, intense finish.

Licorice, sweet spices, toast, smoke and sanguine aromas and flavors envelop a kernel of raspberry in this intense, extroverted red, which is complex, focused and structured, with an expansive finish. There's fine potential, but needs time.

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