Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, Madonna del Piano, Valdicava, 2007

Valdicava's Madonna del Piano Riserva is, quite simply, one of Brunello's benchmark wines. Produced only in the finest years from a single plot of old-vine Sangiovese Grosso on the estate's highest ground, the 2007 is a wine of remarkable poise: deeply coloured, aristocratically structured, and possessed of that particular Valdicava quality where power and finesse refuse to choose between themselves. Dark cherry, dried roses, and iron-rich earth give way to leather and dried herbs as it opens, the whole thing held together by tannins that feel carved rather than painted.

The 2007 vintage across Montalcino was long, warm, and slow-ripening - the kind of year that gives Sangiovese genuine depth without sacrificing its essential acidity. We'd open a bottle now with great pleasure, ideally after two hours in a decanter, but the wine will continue to reward patience until 2045 and quite possibly beyond.