The delicate pink juice of the tiny, nearly black-skinned Brunello grape yields a dark, purple-red wine which is characterized by extraordinary concentration, elevated acidity and enormous tannic extract. The wine is typically closed and quite austere when young, often backward and unapproachable. Generally considered to be young at ten years in an average vintage, Brunello di Montalcino's proponents contend that the best vintages can easily surpass a century and still remain in their prime.