2004 Il Poggione Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Paganelli DOCG - 750ml

96 Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.

Vigna Paganelli is Il Poggione’s single-vineyard Brunello Riserva, produced only in selected vintages from the estate’s oldest Sangiovese vines. The 2004 comes from an excellent Montalcino vintage and, at more than two decades from harvest, is firmly in mature territory, where Brunello’s red fruit has evolved toward the tobacco, leather and savory complexity that patient cellaring can reveal.

Blend: 100% Sangiovese.

Tasting Notes: Dried cherry, wild strawberry and plum are layered with rose petal, orange peel and dried herbs, followed by tobacco, leather, forest floor and savory spice. The palate is mature and composed, with remaining red fruit framed by earthy complexity, fresh acidity and finely resolved tannins through a long, nuanced finish.

Structure: Full-bodied but increasingly graceful with age, retaining the acidity that gives mature Sangiovese its energy while the once-formidable tannins have softened considerably. The wine’s structure is now defined less by power than by balance, persistence and the integration of fruit with tertiary complexity.

Drink Window: Now–2032. The 2004 is fully mature and should be enjoyed for its developed character rather than held in expectation of greater fruit or power. Impeccably stored bottles may continue gracefully beyond this window, but provenance and individual bottle condition are increasingly important.

Decanting: Stand the bottle upright for several hours, preferably overnight, to allow sediment to settle. Open carefully and taste before deciding on aeration; a gentle sediment decant shortly before serving is preferable to prolonged exposure, as a Brunello of this age can evolve quickly once opened.

For collectors of mature Tuscany, the combination of an excellent vintage, Il Poggione’s oldest vines and more than 20 years of bottle development gives Vigna Paganelli particular appeal. This is a bottle for a considered dinner or special occasion, ideally alongside bistecca alla Fiorentina, roast lamb, game, porcini or aged Pecorino, where its mature savory character can remain at the center of the experience.