97

Antonio Galloni

Vinous

The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Bassolino di Sopra is darker, richer and more powerful than the Vigneti del Versante. Dark cherry, plum, lavender and spice give the 2010 its sense of gravitas and weight. The wine gains volume and richness with time in the glass. I would prefer to cellar the 2010 for at least a few years, as it seems to be going through a slightly awkward phase today. The large-scaled, voluptuous finish points to a very bright future. 02/2016

97+

Eric Guido

Vinous

The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Bassolino di Sopra opens with a cooling array of sweet sage and white smoke, giving way to hints of blackberry and camphor. This sweeps across the palate with textures of pure silk, pliant and supple, displaying ripe red and black fruit notes over a core of saline minerals and spice. It finishes structured and long with a spicy balsamic flourish as a bump of residual acidity keeps the mouth watering for more. This is remarkably pretty and finessed yet still deep and complex. I expect amazing things with just a few more years of cellaring. 11/2023

100

Monica Larner

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate

The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Bassolino di Sopra is the equivalent of the estate's Riserva. Only 3,000 bottles were made and the wine was not produced in 2009 or 2008. Nor will it be made in 2011 or 2013. Future editions are 2012 and 2015. Bassolino di Sopra is silky and smooth, but it also has a fine textural fabric that gives the wine an enormous sense of tactile intensity in terms of mouthfeel. This is a magnificent achievement with an extreme sense of purity and freshness that is elegant and streamlined. The bouquet reveals slight and miniature shifts in its evolution that keep your curiosity as you contemplate the wine in the glass. Wild berry is followed by a steady stream of balsam herb, cola, crushed oyster shell and delicate floral tones. The vineyards are located between 330 and 370 meters above sea level with limestone deposits and red soils. Farming is biodynamic. 03/2016