Wine Enthusiast:  Rated as Superb, one of the greats. "Riserva Vigna Paganelli is an outstanding wine with bold chocolate and exotic spice aromas that are folded deep within the wine’s solid, succulent structure. This expression earns high marks thanks to the impressively rich and creamy feel it imparts in the mouth." Apr 2011

Robert Parker, Jr.-The Wine Advocate: Rated as An outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character. "The 2005 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Paganelli is a phenomenal effort in this average vintage. I am amazed by the estate's ability to make a wine with this level of textural richness, depth and sheer power in 2005. This is a dark, inward Brunello loaded with black fruit, smoke, tar, menthol and a host of other dark, sensual aromas and flavors. The wine’s length and intensity are truly a marvel to behold. Like the 2003, I expect demand for the 2005 Riserva to be relatively weak given all of the interest for the 2006s and more highly-regarded vintages of the Riserva, which means this wine will almost certainly be available at favorable pricing somewhere down the line. It is a stunner. The 2005 Riserva spent 25 days on the skins and 40 months in French oak casks. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2035.

Il Poggione is Montalcino’s fourth largest estate, with an eye-popping 125 hectares of Brunello designated vineyards, behind Banfi, Castelgiocondo and Col d’Orcia. My annual tasting spanned every wine in barrel from 2006-2010. I continue to be deeply impressed by the average level of quality father and son team Fabrizio and Alessandro Bindocci coax from these sites. Frankly, it is hard to go wrong with any of the Brunelli Il Poggione has put into bottle over the last few years. The straight Brunello remains one of the most reasonably priced, cellar-worthy wines in the world. The 2006s are rich, bombastic wines that will require patience to drop their baby fat. The Brunelli are fermented with a submerged cap and pumpovers, an approach that is unusual in Montalcino but common in Piedmont. My visit ended with a taste of the 1955 Brunello, which is still in great shape, even after all these years." May 2011

Winery:  "Intense ruby red, elegant nose with notes of red fruit, leather and spices; persistent, balanced flavour, with long seductive finish."

Wired For Wine:  Parker's Antonio Galloni refers to this Il Poggione Riserva Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Paganelli as "a stunner".  You might want to put on your shades winelovers, because you are about to be dazzled. If you are able to wait a bit longer, Mr. Galloni recommends sampling this solid, succulent Brunello some time around 2015. We say let the bottle breathe for a bit, and have a rich glass by itself to fully appreciate the many delicious nuances. Did we mention that this bottle would make an unforgettable holiday gift? The heady notes of black fruit, smoke, exotic spice and even chocolate in this lovely Vigna Paganelli amke it the perfect choice with meats, game, steak and the like.  We love it with grilled rib-eyes with eggplant and roasted garlic and tomatoes, and an aged balsamic drizzle over the top.  Rabbit braised with cippolines, pancetta, parsnips and a carrot vinaigrette will bring out the loooooong finish on this Tuscan Brunello.  For the powerful, texturally rich side of this Riserva rosso, make it roasted then braised lamb with squash and bok choy.  The earthiness of this Il Poggione is delectable with mushrooms too...  Nobody will budge at this point, so open another bottle and continue the revelry with a top shelf aged Asiago cheese.  È la stagione, winelovers!

Size:  750ml; cork
Varietal:  100% Sangiovese from the “I Paganelli” vineyard planted in 1964
Alcohol: 14.5% 
Aging:    4 years in 30-50 hectolitre French oak barrels, followed by a long period of bottle aging
Region:   Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy
Limited Production:  1,100 dozen produced