2018 Brunello di Montalcino, La Magia, Tuscany, Italy

The organic La Magia 2018 Brunello di Montalcino is a subdued and elegant expression with a very genuine quality that is ultimately the wine's biggest asset. You taste the skin and the pulp of the Sangiovese grape in this wine that remains very true to the variety. Wild cherry, cassis and crushed limestone give the wine plenty of linearity and freshness. Elements of the bouquet remind you of a natural wine. Production is 38,000 bottles.Fabian Schwarz's La Magia has been an organic farm since 2012. The main body of vines measures 15 hectares and is registered to Brunello. The site enjoys beautiful southeast exposures with silt, clay and stones at a breezy 400 to 450 meters in elevation. The estate replanted a section of its Vigna Casisano last year. They also started production of a new Vermentino white wine, but alas, they skipped over production of their 2017 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva due to the hot and dry vintage conditions.Drink 2025 - 2038monica_larner, Wine Advocate (March 2023)

The 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino is a more potent and amplified wine, with luxurious aromas of toasted cedar, dark mineral earth, menthol, and black cherry liqueur. It is full through the palate, with ripe mouth-coating fruit layering around fine ripe tannins and a long-lasting finish. Its ripe black fruit of berries and plum intertwines with incense and leather. This is a solid and wonderful wine to cellar for a few years. Drink 2026 - 2040audrey_frick, JebDunnuck.com (March 2023)

Lovely purity of fruit here with plums, cherries, liquorice, tomato leaves and hibiscus. It’s full-bodied, all in balance, with a firm and fine tannin frame and seamless, creamy texture. Focused. More mineral and tight in the finish. From organically grown grapes. Better after 2025james_suckling, jamessuckling_com (December 2022)

Deep, lustrous ruby. Exotic spice on a compact sour-cherry nose. Subtle but very closed. Purity of fruit on the palate that is not open yet but with impressive depth. Lots of long, chewy tannins complement the whole. Can be approached but should be decanted. Better to give it another year.Drink 2024 - 2033Walter Speller, JancisRobinson.com (December 2022)

The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino is smoky in the glass, with a blend of crushed rocks and savory spice accentuating dried black cherries. It is soft and round in feel, energized by juicy acidity that propels its mineral-tinged red fruits across the palate. A coating of fine tannins is left to reside, along with violet inner florals and sweet spice, through the long and dramatic finale. Finding a balance of potent fruit and structure is often one of the challenges of the 2018 vintage, yet La Magia pulled it off without a hitch.Drink 2024 - 2031eric_guido, Vinous.com.com (December 2022)