Benvenuto Brunello 2023 in Montalcino and Toronto, the 2019 vintage, extreme climate events, preventative agricultural measures and 285 wines tasted

This lengthy report is Godello’s most comprehensive coverage of Montalcino to date. On November 28th, 2023 Benvenuto Brunello events took place worldwide, including in the two Canadian cities of Vancouver and Toronto. It was Godello’s honour and indeed his privilege to present the 2019 Brunello di Montalcino DOCG and 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG to more than 150 sommeliers, trade, media and staff at Aria Ristorante in Toronto. The tasting was a big deal. There were many attendees in the room room who had heard Godello say this before. “No one of sound mind passes up the opportunity to taste Brunello from Montalcino.” The Toronto event received more than 350 requests for seats and those who secured a spot were afforded the opportunity to taste more than 70 Brunello di Montalcino in a very civilized way. A dozen sommeliers were on hand to pour and allow every taster to get through all the wines in the most efficient manner, to discover two vintages of these profound wines. The sangiovese available were an impressive collection from 34 archetypal producers.

Related – Montalcino Previews 2022: Brunello DOCG 2018, Brunello Riserva DOCG 2017

Godello’s presentation happened less than a week after returning from eight days spent at Benvenuto Brunello in Montalcino where he tasted more than 280 sangiovese. Of that number 60 percent were from the 2019 vintage, including the Annata split between the Classica, Vigna, Etichetta and Altra Tipologia. He also tasted two dozen 2018 Riserva along with some older vintages at estate visits to Biondi-Santi, Canalicchio di Sopra, Cortonesi, Gaja – Pieve Santa Restituta, Giodo, Il Marroneto, La Magia, Le Chiuse, Le Potazzine, Podere Le Ripi, Poggio Anitico, Salicutti, Talenti and Valdicava. At the anteprima in Montalcino 118 producers were represented with multiple wines available from each, including for the DOCs of Rosso di Montalcino and Sant’Antimo. Less than half that could have been there but there are several reasons for the absences. For some producers the quality of the wines do not arrive at peak form when the November anteprima comes around. Many bottle their Brunello in May because “that’s when the Annata are ready” but it also allows a rest period for six months in bottle ahead of Benvenuto Brunello and eight before a January release. Then there is the control factor – not being able to test each bottle yourself and to trust other professionals to make sure your wines are showing at their best. It’s tricky and is not a system or timing that works for everyone.

Extreme climate events and preventative agricultural measures

Montalcino is just 73 kms to the seaside village of Marina di Grosseto and so while it may be an inland growing area it’s proximity to the sea and its protection to the immediate south from Monte Amiata do create a recognizably prominent Mediterranean climate. It will snow in the winter and it will get oppressively hot in summer. Rainfall numbers have lessened but they have not reduced to a trickle. What has changed are the extremes of climate. Consider a few recent vintages, 2017, 2021 and 2023. In 2017 there was no precipitation between January 1st and August 31st. That is full on drought. In 2021 there were April 6th and 7th frosts that wiped out vast tracts of just budded vines. The current vintage is an unmitigated disaster. Some frosts early, again in August which also experienced a heatwave that caused a significant rise in PH. From May 15th to June 15th rainfall every afternoon made the control of the Peronospera fungus almost impossible. We call this Downy Mildew, oomycete microbes that are obligate parasites of plants induced by an unrelated fungus called Plasmopara Viticola causing the powdery mildew.

The problem in ’23 was that the mildew by-passed the leaves and went straight to the flowers on the bunches, but the fungus also chooses to not discriminate between the organic and conventional producer. Some areas escaped, especially that of the Sesta Valley between Castelnuovo and Sant’Angelo. The estates in this area (Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona, Collosorbo, Agostina Peri and Piancornello) were very fortunate to enjoy a good quantity of healthy grapes. Nothing to do with organics mind you, perhaps specific airflow coming from the Orcia Valley, or just dumb luck. Other estates were not so lucky. Fabian Schwarz of La Magia siad he would normally spray copper and sulphur eight to 10 times per season – in that 30 day stretch alone he had to spray 20 times. Maximilian Hildebrandt of Salicutti noted that production was down 35 percent because of the Peronospera and two hailstorms in August and so no Sorgente Vineyard Brunello was made. The challenges faced made it hard to reach their aim “to create the wine on the plants” from a vintage when the usual four sulphur and copper treatments per year were increased to a staggering 22. That’s more heavy metal on the ground than Wacked Open Air. If you missed that reference it’s the most famous Heavy Metal festival held in Germany.

The combined losses of these extreme climate events has been heavy. Up to 90 percent in northeastern Montalcino and anywhere from 10-50 in most other parts. At La Magia the number was 40 percent due to the Peronospera, but also hail. The 2023 vintage was also higher in pH at 3.7, mainly due to a very hot August and the number is normally down at around 3.3. “Maybe winter will see it drop,” said a wishful Schwarz. Vincenzo Abruzzese of Valdicava shrugged off the disaster. “I’m sad of the situation, but I’m not cutting off my arms.” Resiliency is strong, the people and plants will rebound and so much has been learned. Alberello planting is on the comeback “because you are working with three dimensions and every plant is by itself,” explained Fabian Schwarz, “including how it reacts to wind and rain.” But unfortunately that does not include dealing with animals like wild boar and deer. For Abruzzese Alberello vines require less water and can improve sangiovese’s ability to combat climate change, especially at a density of 6,000 vines per hectare. Guyot is replacing Cordone Speronato in many vineyards and almost no one is shoot topping anymore. Giampiero Bertolini of Biondi-Santi elucidated the concept of how plant structure and canopies are managed in a new way, with two parts coming up and together, to have the ability to change trajectory, to open and or close depending on the needs in relation to the weather. At Salicutti they are no longer cutting off the tops of the plants. This to protect them and keep the arches down, “like having a picnic under a big tree,” explained Hildebrandt, “so your butter is not melting.”

Lorenzo Magnelli at Le Chiuse is looking at creating micro-oxygenation in the soils to promote vine root growth. Cover crops help with this. Also less passages with the tractor to avoid compaction. Fabian and others have begun a two-step pruning process, the first in winter and the second after Easter, well past the time when the first buds had already emerged. This helps to delay the total number of buds before the typically potential Easter frosts though it will not help if a freak occurrence comes in May. And the way climate is trending that will surely happen. However “when you speak about quality,” reminds Schwarz, “it is not because of training systems, it’s from soil and micro-climate.” At La Magia he is also experimenting with anti-fungal activity using Bacillus Amyloliquefaciens, a root-colonizing biocontrol bacterium. “You buy one package and replicate it with a bioreactor,” explains Fabian. He makes a solution to spray in the vineyards as an organic way to ward of odium. The machine was originally purchased to replicate indigenous yeasts for fermentations but now serves a dual purpose.

A territory of four slopes

The northwest slope of the Montalcino hill is where poderi like Cortonesi’s La Mannella, Capanna, Pertimali from Sassetti Livio and the lower side of the Montosoli hill are located. There is great interest in this quadrant because the soils are some of the most variegate from farm to farm and places where really fresh wines are made. The southwestern slope is where you will find producers like Pietroso, Il Palazzone and Le Ragnaie but also the gateway further west to Castiglion del Bosco, Le Potazzine, Corte Pavone and Romitorio. And further southwest you reach Pian delle Vigne and Pieve Santa Restituta.

The northeastern slope is a unique location with the Orcia Valley spread out to the east and the south. These are the wide-open spaces and rolling hills of Montalcino where the clays are less compact, the calcaire can be quite prevalent and the elevations relatively lower. Here you will find producers like Il Marroneto, Casanova di Neri, Le Chiuse, Ridolfi, Canalicchio di Sopra and Franco Pacenti. The southeastern slope covers everything south and southeast of Montalcino, characterized by steeper slopes, profound changes in elevation, thick forest and windswept plateaus. These are where estates leading down to the villages of Castelnuovo dell’Abate and Sant’Angelo in Colle are located. The highest concentration of farms are here, beginning with Constanti and Biondi-Santi. Then there are Talenti, Salicutti, La Magia, Poggiarelli Vineyard, Fanti and Poggio di Sotto, among many others.

Andrea Lonardi is Italy’s most recent MW and joins Montalcino’s Gabriele Gorelli with that unique distinction. Andrea is the COO of Angelini Wines and Estates and during Benvenuto Brunello week in Montalcino he led a vertical tasting of four vintages from three crus for Val di Suga Brunello. Three different locations, three micro-climates and soils. Lonardi asked “how many places in the world have such a change in landscapes around such a small area?” It tells us that Montalcino producers are focused on Cru, on Vigna and this pinpointing of how and why sangiovese comes away distinct from which place.

During the final November weekend Godello made a tour of the combined five vineyards worked by the Brunello boys: Lorenzo Magnelli of Le Chuise, Tomasso Cortonesi of La Mannella and Francesco Ripaccioli of Canalicchio di Sopra. The purpose was to join them for a look at soils and taste the wines of each place. Francesco talked about La Casaccia as a place of high (8.2-8.3) pH characterized by the clay. “For me it’s sleekness in the wines,” he says “not opulence and less heaviness than from (a vineyard) of dense clay.” Walking the vineyard of Poggiarelli and the windy landscape overlooking the Orcia Valley within the forests will tell you so much about the freshness and also power of those Brunello. Tomasso Cortonesi says “it’s very important for me that a producer has to exult the identity of each single vineyard, including the Rosso.” Montalcino does not like to talk in terns of frazione, Villages, MGA or UGA, but they do like their cru. There motto is that great wine has a secret: “Vineyard, vineyard, vineyard.”

Soils and Sangiovese

All of Montalcino is predicated on sand, clay and stone, like all of Tuscany but the sandstones are its predominant feature. These are mainly Arenaria, which is about as pure as sandstone gets and also Pietraforte, a much harder conglomerate rock that will contain other elements like schist, clay and calcium carbonate. But Montalcino has much less limestone than a region like Chianti Classico. There is some Alberese (and Palombino) stone but the sands are key. Everyone uses the term Galestro but it is not a type or epoch of soil – it’s a type of structure. The term Galestro refers to a manifestation of sedimentary soils at the surface as flakey outcroppings. Galesto mainly comes from schists but also sandstones and appears as flakes of those rocks in layers that fall to pieces, like bits of stony sand. We can say that Galestro soils have a great effect on these sangiovese – but true geological origins matter most.

The thing about sangiovese is that it loves rainfall but does not love really hot seasons. That messes with its natural acidity but Montalcino lives and dies by the variety as the only denomination where every wine is 100 percent sangiovese. There are other grapes grown around Montalcino but only sangiovese makes Rosso and Brunello di Montalcino. In Montalcino sangiovese vines don’t really produce as they once did after reaching 50-plus years of age. But there are many who care to preserve the memoria storica, that is the historical DNA and character of the vines. So they do so with massal selection. Keep in mind that Montalcino was a place where today’s producer is the grandchild of wine producers who woke up the morning, walked to the market to sell some form of goods, walked back down the hill to attend school and then worked the vineyard and the cellar for the rest of the day. Two dozen of them formed the Consorzio – both their descendants and their vines’ descendants are what make Brunello today. The village was along a Roman trading route and everyone knew Montalcino as the place where great wine was worth stopping for. Clemente Santi produced the first true commercial bottling in the 1880s, the Consorzio was formed in 1967, DOCG status awarded Brunello in 1980 and DOC to Rosso in 1984.

Rosso di Montalcino

Culturally speaking Rosso di Montalcino is the most important wine. It’s what the Montalcinese drink daily. Many winemakers will tell you that Rosso must reflect sangiovese’s character more than any other wine. In today’s Montalcino one’s Rosso is another’s Brunello. It’s now more than ever a matter of location, soil and altitude. There are many ways to skin a Rosso but these days it is always a wine treated with respect. There is enough Brunello to go around and the world needs a lot more Rosso di Montalcino. Godello was able to taste three dozen Rosso that week, covering vintages 2022 going back to 2016.

The “top” 2019 vintage

Which brings us to 2019. Ah yes, the already famous vintage and for many reasons, 99 percent of them good. Comparable to 2016 in the sense in that quality and quantity were both running high. The very famous oenologist Carlo Ferrini of Giodo described the weather as calda but not caldissima. A statement of the obvious says that the key to a great wine in Montalcino is the relationship and balance between phenolic maturity and acidity. Achieving this kind of success was challenging in the two previous vintages. The problem with climate extremes is rising pH numbers, loss of acidity and when this happens you can’t make adjustments after harvest to correct deficiencies. This vintage was a literally a breeze. All the correct winds blew through and yes it was a warm vintage, but with no heat spikes upwards of 40 degrees as there had been in 2015 and also 2016. That is why producers are very happy with and also relieved by 2019. Terms like quality and quantity, easy, uncomplicated, fresh and substantial were tossed about. Even the usage of “The Goldilocks vintage,” not too hard or too soft. Not to dry and not too wet. It was just right. Francesco Ripaccioli noted that on September 15th there was 45-50 mm of rain. “It didn’t affect the vintage,” he insisted, “but the rain cleaned the grapes before they came into the cellar. Tomasso spent three weeks at the beach.” He was joking. Mostly.

If 2018 was the vertical vintage then 2019 was one of breadth and depth, this as far as Riccardo Talenti is concerned. What a vintage like 2019 allowed a Montalcino winemaker was the choice and the chance to make individual wines, not just good wines. To celebrate the spirit living within each vineyard and farm. To find richness from an uncontaminated place, because climate did not get in the way. To make a style of sangiovese leaning towards the oxidative and not the reductive because the fruit was so untainted. Brunello that carries the DNA of each farm and levels of acidity to see the prospect of the best examples aging for 30 years or more. Alessio Sostegni of Poggio Antico said “you should taste the freshness and concentration, especially because of the winds. The days may be have been hot, but the sea winds blew in each afternoon.” He added that “after a late August rain what followed were high daytime temperatures and nighttime lows. In fact the optical sorter at harvest eliminated almost no berries.” Higher temperatures but no major spikes and rainfall came at all the right times, first in the winter and then with that spike in mid-summer that cooled the vines but happened after the potential danger of funguses like Peronospera. A vintage that Gigliola Giannetti of Le Potazzine said was simply regolare and thank goodness because these days that is increasingly rarer and rarer. Sebastian Nasello of Podere Le Ripi said “it is also rare to find a vintage where both the western and eastern sectors performed in a positive way.” Vegetative growth was slow and steady and harvest stretched over a few weeks of time. The end result was slow and even ripening which could not be said for either 2017 or 2018.

What about Riserva 2018?

The wines are not the most concentrated, at times edgy and volatile, but their transparency makes them some of the most terroir-connected of the last 15 vintages. Twenty eighteen is a pure sangiovese vintage and there is nowhere for the wines to hide. There are many that could be referred to as sneaky structured. Many writers were and remain skeptical. Godello holds much respect for the hard work put in, the selective processes and the potential of these wines. Less Mediterranean as a vintage, lit from behind. Of course there are more impressive and also structured vintages but the guarantee here is in the consistency of farming and winemaking teams with a dedicated set of values. Today we are dealing with Riserva as a wine that only nature can decide whether or not it will become one. Alessandro Mori of Il Marroneto said that “it has a to be a monster to become a Riserva.” His might have been the outlier and not the norm for 2018. Giacomo Bartolommei of Caprili noted that the weather was the complete opposite of 2017. Winter snow, even in the southern part of Montalcino, cooler temperatures and consistent rainfall. “Lighter wines with potential for aging, not unlike 2013. They are showing well right now. We think 2018 will be the same. Even expecting greatness.”

Tommaso Cortonesi: “A vintage where you can recognize the link between the producer and the terroir. The vintage does not show potential during he first two years in bottle. The wines of 2007 were like this. I taste the real Galestro of southeast Montalcino in Poggiarelli. Usually the northern areas do this but in 2018 the southern sectors do this and in balance.” Francesco Ripaccioli of Canalicchio di Sopra: “The first harvest was September 10th – a green one, to concentrate the best bunches. Then heavy rains on September 16th, followed by strong tramontana winds to dry out the vines and keep mildew away.” Producers needed to wait a few days and so harvest began on the 20th, at first looking for what Francesco calls “dimension in the bunches.” Phenolic ripeness and acidity were not developed chronologically but in a more chaotic way. Francesco puts the average ripeness number at 7.5 or 8 out of ten. “Ten doesn’t exist and if it did I would not want it because pH levels would be way too high. Maybe 8.5 is perfect.” This is really important information. Just as picking too early in a hot year is problematic, the chase to optimum phenolic ripeness is also wrought with dangers. High pH, low acidity, over-extraction, which depending on the season can bring exaggerations, mainly astringencies. Balance, that’s the key, regardless of what that equates to in any given year. And place.

The sommeliers, consorzio and tasting notes

The success of the Benvenuto tastings would be impossible without the Italian AIS Sommeliers and in Montalcino that means the women and men of the AIS Siena division. These are the professionals who serve the wines in Montalcino. They are a tasters’ best friend because they quickly become aware of a taster’s needs even before the taster knows that their needs are needed. Being nice, patient, courteous, friendly and respectful of them is everything. They are there to help in the the best way they can.

The Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino President is Fabrizio Bindocci and the Director is Andrea Machetti. Giacomo Bartolommei, Riccardo Talenti and Enrico Viglierchio are the three Vice-Presidents. At the top of the list of those who put in the greatest amount of dedication is Carlotta Salvini who just might be the hardest working person in Montalcino today. Collectively they and their staff make Benvenuto Brunello one of the most important and best organized events on the anteprime schedule. If you would like to jump past this 40,000 word report and straight to the highest rated wines in order, please click here. The 285 wines reviewed are broken down as follows: Brunello di Montalcino 2019 (96), Brunello di Montalcino Vigna + Etichetta + Altra Tipologia 2019 (72), Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2018 (23), Other Vintages and Campione di Botti (4), Older Vintages (45), Rosso di Montalcino (36) and Toscana IGT (9).

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2019

Agostina Pieri Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2019

An Ontario mainstay over the last two decades and as of late a move into ethereal wines from Agostina Pieri. In the old days the cost was affordable and to an extent still is but these latest vintages should fetch much more. Case in point the elegant beauty of this 2019 with floral perfume that is in a Montalcino league of its own. Flavours and texture are no different or maybe they are as they move with such fluid grace. This may come as a surprise to some tasters and then there are those who already know that Pieri’s sangiovese is movement and tension together in one lovely Brunello package. Will look forward to a glass 10 years forward, much in the same way many 2013s are delivering with poise today. Drink 2026-2033.  Tasted November 2023

Altesino Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2019

Irrefutably Altesino aromatics with that extra bit of ripeness and stuffing though for 2019 a very rounded expression. Purity of fruit as sangiovese once again in the clear Altesino style. Modern and plush though neither opulent for lush. The ease of vintage makes for naturally sweet Brunello that is clearly 2019 and also Altesino. That last comment is everything you need to know. Drinking well already and will continue this way. Will be a great restaurant bottle choice for six years easy. Drink 2024-2030.  Tasted November 2023

Armilla Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG 2019

Argiano Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG 2019

Canalicchio Di Sopra Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG 2019

Fattoi Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2019

Lovely, forthright, juicy and full vintage generosity capture here from Fattoi. Hard not to see this as (and it must be said out loud) how much one will almost surely want to drink this sangiovese without waiting for it to age. It really is that perfumed and open up front so don’t feel guilty if you feel this way. There is no lack of substance and structure so keeping bottles is obviously a smart idea but my how this seduces quickly and without hesitation. It is also clearly, credibly and more than ostensibly Fattoi, a classica of red fruit liqueur, gentle lift and composure.  Drink 2024-2030. Tasted November 2023

Fattoria Dei Barbi Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2019

The first two concepts that arrive in mind for Fattoria deli Barbi’s 2019 Annata are respect and tradition because this insistent sangiovese is just what has been and should always be. Fruit and acidity straight away, together and equal which means there will almost certainly be balance in effect all the way through. That is in fact the case for a 2019 that pays duty to vintage and homage to history. The wood is a bit aggressive mind you and that too adheres to lines of necessity to see a sangiovese from a very good Montalcino vintage with the ability to age. Drink 2025-2030.  Tasted November 2023

Ferrero Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2019

Notably perfumed up front, jumping from the glass with fruit confiture like few other 2019 Brunello. Rich and unctuous in that regard without the immediacy of knowing or imagining this to be a vertical or structured sangiovese. The acidity is grand while the jammy nature continues on the palate. Quite mature when added up and not a Brunello to hold for even another two years. Make haste people. Drink 2023-2024.  Tasted November 2023

Fossacolle Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2019

Truly proper 2019 Brunello from Fossacolle, simply assembled for an uncomplicated look at and pure enjoyment of the positive vintage. Fruit is ripe and well managed, acids maintain freshness and the construct is a solid if easily accessible one. Never austere if just some drying moments late to indicate a year or two is needed before this sangiovese rises to its peak. Drink 2025-2030.  Tasted November 2023

Franco Pacenti Brunello Di Montalcinio DOCG 2019

La Gerla Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2019

A bit extreme lift and acetic tone from La Gerla, more than usual and so some air time is necessary here. A great balsamic stress, pomegranate and currants hard juiced and their levels turned up to the max. The wood here is sappy and resinous for a Brunello that arrives with high acidity if other parts also vivid, glaring and overly substantial. Drink 2024-2026.  Tasted November 2023

La Lecciaia Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2019

Quite a luxe and rich sangiovese from La Leccaia’s 2019 Classica which bodes really well for what will almost surely follow in extrapolation by way of Vigna Manapetra. In some vintages the Vigna can cannibalize the normale but when the latter is this well developed the opposite will occur. This is pure and succulent liquidity because by the grace of the vintage acids melt and lift fruit where it wants to be. There is a bit of excess “grasso” texture and wood on this sangiovese but it too will melt into the fabric of what the aromatic and flavour profiles have showed in the first. Ideal mid-term Brunello. Drink 2026-2032.  Tasted November 2023

La Magia Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2019

“It was a very easy vintage,” echoing what most producers have said but you can see in his eyes that for Fabian Schawrz this was the truth. Floral is the understatement and distillate expressive might be an over, but there is real liqueur on the nose of this 2019 Brunello. “A normal vintage” he reminds and normal sangiovese means classic, once upon a time style of wines. This includes lift, a thing that’s disappearing from Brunello and better today when purity and clarity are just as strong, but also important. Surprise is a good thing but so too is recognition and the aromatics of La Magia are just that, earth fragrant and brush savoury with fruit a willing participant in the agrarian game. The aromatic rising will surely settle because the palate is more that way and so it sure feels like everything well eventually get together. The work of Fabian Schwartz in on and in motion with this a matter of 2019 sangiovese fruit that leaves an impression. The wood is very much a part of the activity and the wine needs a few years to integrate but that it will with spices and seasoning always the accents to exact intricacy and entanglement. Fine work here, well received with a look forward two to three years. Classic 10 year Brunello if not one to lose in the cellar for 20 or more. Drink 2025-2032.  Tasted November 2023

La Rasina Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2019

Brushy and savoury Mediterranean scented sangiovese is really exactly this and La Rasina fulfills its classica 2019 course in the delivery of this sort of aromatic profile. The palate follows suit and balsamico is everywhere, infiltrating all pores and punches of this wine. Very specific style, not ancient but traditional to say the least. Drink 2025-2029.  Tasted November 2023

La Serena Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG 2019

Le Chiuse Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG 2019

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2019 Vigna + Etichetta + Altra Tipologia

Alessandro Rossi Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Aisna 2019

Some reduction and vinyl shower curtain on the nose in what is not the most perfectly clean Brunello di Montalcino. Too bad because both fruit and acidity are right there in equal if opposing ripenesses but the distractions are at the head. Give it some time to clean itself, integrate and soften. Drink 2025-2027.  Tasted November 2023

Altesino Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Vigna Montosoli 2019

Altesino’s part of the Galestro-strewn Montosoli hill is one of the bigger blocks in a very small area (of 30-plus hectares) where 10-ish producers create Brunello labels within the cru. A special northerly part of Montalcino that benefitted greatly from the vintage though truth is 2019 was good for everyone just about everywhere in the denomination. This is Altesino and the connection with the Classica is noted, but being Altesino-Montosoli there is more, something other, unnamed yet founded, underlying, streaking and trussing through. A sticking of soil and micro-activity that makes this wine and the others from this place a band of brothers and sisters. These are sangiovese and Altesino’s are included that have “been workin’ every night, travelin’ every day” to arrive at a vintage like 2019. It’s never been this calming to make a top quality wine from the hill that are not glaringly different than others in Montalcino. That’s both but not importantly good or bad because Montosoli as Altesino pleases the palate and sets up for long life. This is but one vintage that hints at the future which will brighten if perhaps tighten less and less. Drink 2025-2032.  Tasted November 2023

Antinori Pian Delle Vigne Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2019

Antinori’s foresight looked at this southwestern section of Montalcino where elevation is high and austerely savoury wines used to be the order of business in vintage after vintage. That intelligence has led to and seems to culminate at this 2019 because sweetness of fruit and acidity like never before transform Pian delle Vigne into a new epoch of the estate’s Brunello. As substantially ripe and full as never before and something so modern in construction it will attract a large audience, at least from they who can afford such wines. There are many and if marketing succeeds they will be found. Drink 2025-2030.  Tasted November 2023

Antinori Pian Delle Vigne Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Vignaferrovia 2019

As for the single Vignaferrovia the exaggeration and hyperbole for modern terms in Pian Delle Vigne is wrought times two with density, thick texture and also thankfully a wild side. No estate vineyard sangiovese from Antinori has ever reached this pinnacle of luxe, not Tignanello, not Badia a Passignano, not Pian delle Vigne. It just has to be a triumph for the team and Piero Antinori’s vision. Once again those who seek the modern style and can afford such a sangiovese will be very pleased with this top 2019 result. Drink 2026-2035.  Tasted November 2023

Baricci Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Montosoli 2019

Baricci’s Montosoli is indicative of the northern hill but perhaps the most singular of all the expressions from there. Their fruit darkens, feels at first aromatically baritone but then brightens and turns soprano on the palate. It’s an amazingly curious dichotomy of expression while the transition from one to the other is both seamless and appropriate. All the notes are in place, connected and complimentary but there are fills and subtly added transitions both inside and outside of the main frame. Cool, savoury and yes mineral even if those who wish this concept be eliminated from the Montalcino lexicon. The finish shows quite a bit of wood and so Baricci’s Montosoli should be held for a few years, to see expedited integration ahead of further investigation. Drink 2027-2039.  Tasted November 2023

Castello Di Banfi Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG Poggio Alle Mura 2019

Banfi Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG Poggio Alle Mura Vigna Marrucheto 2019

Canalicchio Di Sopra Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG Vigna La Casaccia 2019

Canalicchio Di Sopra Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG Vigna Montosoli 2019

Casanova Di Neri Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG Tenuta Nuova 2019

Conti Costanti Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG Colle Al Matrichese 2019

Corte Pavone Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Fiore del Vento 2019

Fiore del Vento is not Campo Marzio, nor should it be and yet their connection and bond are what put them in the same family of Vigna Brunello from vineyards that share location but also elevation and winds. As in this one where Fiore thrives and so Brunello di Montalcino is represented from a unique perspective. Fiore delivers more natural fruit sweetness and less lift, similar wood texture and in the end a softer, rounded and quicker to enjoy experience. Drink this ahead of Campo Marzio, though after the classico label. Drink 2024-2029.  Tasted November 2023

Corte Pavone Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Fior di Meliloto 2019

Fior di Melioto is almost entirely unique though of course the DNA is shard with the four other ‘19s by Corte Pavone. This is expressive of the greatest aromatic perfume and lift of them all in a sangiovese of so much accumulation and concentration. It would appear that the sun and the best of the vintage shone on this parcel, not to the defect of others but this just shows more. Everything falls into place with Fior di Melioto and here is the Brunello that breaches the line to put Loacker’s deep dive into vineyard investigations into a whole new light. The next is here, the impression left one that will linger for longer than memory ever remembers and in the end we are moved by this next level of transformation.  Drink 2026-2034. Tasted November 2023

Cortonesi Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG La Mannella 2019

Cortonesi Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG Poggiarelli 2019

Fattoria Dei Barbi Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Vigna del Fiore 2019

If the large quantity label of Annata-Classica will show youthfulness, wood and structure to need a few years further age than the single vineyard sangiovese will require two times the amount, at the very least. Vigna del Fiore fruit is deeper but also darker, richer in terms of texture and full of parts more developed. More than that are perfumes and spicing that demand attention while the interaction between fruit and structural parts are working through their motions. Having tasted the 2015 just the night before and finding it just beginning to reveal scenes two through four within act one notes tells us that 2019 VdF is likely 10 years away from that launching point. Sure it can be enjoyed to the fullest in five to seven years but the best will be a few more after that. Drink 2027-2033.  Tasted November 2023

Fattoria La Magia Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Ciliegio 2019

Substantially increased concentration and suitably more depth from the canasta of Ciliegio while we understand that specific vineyard fruit is responsible for such a sangiovese excitation. If 2019 classica is youthful and not quite ready then getting a load of these sangiovese laces pulled tight in a Ciliegio is impossibly immovable. Some minutes in the glass makes a good difference but not nearly enough to coax out full grace and charm. There’s that lift once again but this time the acidity is both sweeter and dustier so that balsamic really makes a play. The style is modern that much is known and the riches luxe because ripenesses and extractions are each their partner for what is a very focused plan. Mouthfeel is exceptional, neither too silken or emulsified but somewhere elegantly hovering in the space between. Feels like air or space above and also below but also to both sides because this is not a round but rather a linear constructed wine. There is no happenstance but there is coincidence, as a La Magia Brunello and also as it connects and expands from the Annata label. An extra year would be preferred and the end point looks further ahead, as it must. More solid work from Fabian Schwarz. Should outlive the classica by five years at minimum. Only 2,000-2,500 bottles are produced, on the higher end with thanks to the vintage. Drink 2026-2038.  Tasted November 2023

Franco Pacenti Brunello Di Montalcinio DOCG Rosildo 2019

Gianni Brunelli Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Le Chiuse di Sotto 2019

Classic perfumes from Laura at Gianni Brunelli and its Le Chuise di Sotto origins where red cherry fruit and balsamic accents coexist, heightened and fortified with 2019 fruit. A vintage of both intensity and also layering, seamless integration of all parts that can’t help but be rendered into some form of ethereal liquidity. Juicy and of a particular Montalcino twang because place and vintage come together for this tart red fruit molasses with singularly exotic spiced accents. Style and necessity are in the house for Gianni Brunelli. Drink 2025-2034.  Tasted November 2023

Gorelli Giuseppe Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2019

Gorelli’s 2019 is unlike any other and while that can be said about many Montalcino Brunello in this case the clarity of that comment makes great and knowable sense. The aromas are particular, high casted, tonal, lifted and akin to scraping hard red fruit skins, getting their citrus musk under your nails and staying with you as you work through your day. Long lasting aromas part agricultural and part gastronomical. The Gorelli 2019 is also economical with neither gratuitous nor wasted moments. There is no distraction save for some botti texture that needs to melt a bit and find union with the excellent perfumes. The balsamic note late confirms the circle of sangiovese life to say longevity will be the right kind. Drink 2026-2034.  Tasted November 2023

Il Marroneto Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG Madonna Delle Grazie 2019

The label of Alessandro Mori’s Madonna Delle Grazie had not ever changed but today the name of the farm is more prominent than the denomination. This is now essential to Mori because things and times have changed. In his opinion too many Brunello di Montalcino are not representative or respectful of heritage, familial and estate culture but especially the genius loci of place. Too many that have lost the way and are brands, built by marketing and hollowness. The question here and of more importance with respect to Madonna Delle Grazie is do we like the wine? The answer is an emphatic and quite frankly epiphanic yes. The MdG’s power is not about killing you softly but instead holding onto and gripping the senses by explaining with unequivocal doubt what it means to be sangiovese grown at 420m on the northeastern slope of the Montalcino hill. This 2019 gains your full and complete attention at first with scents kicked up from underfoot on a moonless November night, but then by truth explained through differences made abundantly clear. Depth and profundity exceeding the majority of wines from this vintage, even while many of them would try to sku the mind to want to believe. You may until you taste a Brunello like this and Alessandro insists that you shouldn’t allow “50 percent of the wines make you think think the vintage is not great, because 2019 is fantastic.” He would of course be correct and his Vigna is hyper real but also generous. Acidity is essential and here dominant to help keep this sangiovese see to decades of enjoyment. What’s so incredible is how we don’t even talk about tannin in Il Marroneto’s Brunello, not because they are not there, nor are they taken for granted. They are pure and woven into the fabric, as they should be. Keep in mind this is not Riserva. “Only nature can decide what will become a Riserva. It has to be a monster.” Drink 2027-2045.  Tasted November 2023

Il Palzzone Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Le Due Porte 2019

Le Due Porte is the name of the vineyard taken from the località of that name and the vineyard geology is unique, based on two variations of sandstone. One is Arenaria, ubiquitous to Tuscany and the other Pietranera, the Montalcino way of saying Pietraforte. Just like what happens from vintage to vintage with the Annata (classico) the same occurs for the “two doors.” In other words an exaggeration of Il Palazzone riches, from scents specific to these lands through silken glycerol mouthfeel and finally the knowable balsamic that is this place. More wood is felt to no surprise from truly traditional Brunello di Montalcino that sticks to its heritage in the production and refinement of sangiovese that could only come from this estate. The age abilities for Le Due Porte will indeed be long and fruitful. Drink 2026-2032.  Tasted November 2023

La Fiorita Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG Fiore Di NO 2019

La Fortuna Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG Giobi 2019

La Gerla Brunello di Montalcino DOCG La Pieve 2019

More settling and caution comes from La Pieve of fruit quite proper and well utilized in a dozen ways that best the Annata label for La Gerla. Still the tones and lift run high but that fruit is respected and the cask aging of much less distraction. This would be a very solid classica and as a Vigna Brunello it’s serviceable if unexceptional. Not the most ideal vintage for La Gerla where some challenges were surely faced.  Drink 2025-2029. Tasted November 2023

Le Gode Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG Montosoli 2019

La Rasina Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Persante 2019

Lovely swirl of fruit richness in Le Rasina’s Etichetta Brunello 2019 and acidity that marches along stride for stride. Gentle swarthiness as well, an effect of all kinds of soil, weather and conditions but in harmony no matter the sidestepping of subtle sauvage. Chewy wine with crispy edges, angles if not sharp ones and some proper austerity in the drying tannins. Drink 2025-2032.  Tasted November 2023

Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Casanovina Montosoli 2019

There is the temptation to say that northern Montalcino vineyards are no longer cooler, even while they are surely that as compared to the south. Montosoli is still a cool place and the sangiovese may be ripe from 2019 but its structural backbone is one of austere tannins and near raging acidity. Though this is true the vintage gifts some pretty succulent and fleshy fruit with orange zest, tart peach and red citrus running amok. Bit off a wild vintage for Casonovina, not in a sauvage, funky sausage or swarthy way, but the austerity meeting juicy tang and a feeling of “animale” makes for a seriously notable act of sangiovese intensity. The potential is for the whole and the profound so exercise patience, come back in three years and then let the games begin. Drink 2026-2035.  Tasted November 2023

Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Passo del Lume Spento 2019

Passo del Lume Spento is the newest addition though by now an experienced Vigna Brunello from 620m which puts it at the perch of elevation for sangiovese in Montalcino. No surprise there is more light, extreme freshness and also tightly wound sangiovese which means that of the five Brunello made by Riccardo Campinoti it is this that seems the least vintage obvious. Consistency is ingrained into this sangiovese’s nature and perfumes are what define not only its entry but its destination. That and tannin which is drying, austere and profound – this is what puts this near unicorn of of Montalcino wine in vintage light because fruit, flesh and texture will almost certainly keep up for what could be a very long and slow process on the path to maturity. This is a really ideal vintage for this wine to find its next gear with a coursing mineral mix of karst and also flesh from bone. Drink 2026-2037.  Tasted November 2023

Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Petroso 2019

Petroso is the newer of vineyard plantings at the estate just to the south of Montalcino village and like Passo del Lume Spento is now coming into its own. High elevation though not quite like PDLM but still height matters in terms of solar radiation, day for night temperatures and freshness incarnate. A deeper tone here both from clay and sand but also vintage with 2019 delivering all the goods so that plenty of flesh hangs on these sangiovese bones. This has so many layers to peel away and to reveal what more there is to be discovered. It would be wise to point out how many people will likely fall in love with this most unctuous of Riccardo Campinoti’s Petroso but it currently lacks the complexity of the other Vigna wines. Just a bit of chalky bitterness at the finish suggests the tannins need to resolve to bring in the question of age. Drink 2025-2031.  Tasted November 2023

Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino V.V. DOCG 2019

Yes V.V. stands for Vecchie Vignes, old vines in other words and so come for the concentration, stay for the vintage party. Richness out of ripeness squared and yet acidity preserved for freshness kept no matter the Brunelllo by Le Ragnaie. There is that blood orange juiciness again, not quite 2013 sanguine but it’s there in an almost succulent and mouth-watering way. Though there is austerity there is so much to back it up and the parts are each in their correct place. Makes for a focused sangiovese with great potential. The tannins here are riper and less chalky than Petroso, the finish cleaner, again fresher and the final result quite satisfying. Drink 2025-2033.  Tasted November 2023

Mastrojanni Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Vigna Loreto 2019

A similarity or thread comes into the single Loreto vineyard label though this is clearly amplified and more substantial sangiovese. Fuller and also more tannic with some tension between the fruit and its structural parts. More wood obviously and the modern sort that needs to dissolve before occupying new areas of a Brunello that shows really good length. Drink 2026-2033.  Tasted November 2023

Mastrojanni Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Vigna Schiena d’Asino 2019

Top parcel for Mastrojanni on two adjacent slopes in declension from a shared ridge between with 360-390m of elevation. One faces southeast and the other southwest, planted together in 1975. Just about 45 years of age and in 2019 picking was on October the 2nd. Sees 42 months in 16hL Allier barrels though you’d never know it because the French wood is so beautifully integrated. Surely herbal, brushy and balsamic on the nose but that is just a fraction of the generosity and the complexity this Vigna (or in a sense Vigne) Brunello is wanting to give. Crunchy sangiovese is just this type and if it’s not yours then you may not be paying attention. A serious glass of Brunello here, layered with variegate stony terroir feels and fruit captured in its veritable essence. Vigna Schiena d’Asino is one of the wines that define the vintage, especially for the southern reaches of Montalcino. Those who choose to afford a bottle should purchase at least two because the temptation is real and one may just have to be sacrificed early to see what all this fuss is about. Drink 2026-2038.  Tasted January 2024

Máté Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Veltha 2019

Veltha is altra tipologia as in a fantasy name for a Brunello that essentially means a “selection” of vineyards, vines or casks. Imagination kicks in because this is what Veltha (from Etruscan mythology, Voltumna or Veltha was the chthonic – relating to or inhabiting the underworld deity) who became the supreme god of the Etruscan pantheon, the deus Etruriae princeps, according to Varro. Essentially a more calm if luxe, suave and silken version of a Máté Brunello with more juiced orange and blood orange than the classica. Veltha’s structure is already softening and so the drinkability is high though agea-ability less so. Drink 2025-2032.  Tasted November 2023

Patrizia Cencioni Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Ofelio 2019

Ofelio is altra tipologia as in a fantasy name for a Brunello that essentially means a “selection” of vineyards, vines or casks. Clear, present and devilishly dangerous sangiovese because like the Classica there is volume, dimension and great acidity. What takes it further is the spice component and the intoxication of fragrance. A much fuller expression but also one with great fantasy. This Ofelia will age and it may be really important to let that happen. Drink 2026-2033.  Tasted November 2023

Pinino Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Vigna Pinino 2019

Vigna Pinino of an iteration that was gifted all the best vintage fruit so that the classica label is really all wood and not much else. The Vigna is a better if still spiced and toasty example. Still it’s more wood than anything else and quite lactic within the overall mix of wood and lavender paste. Drink 2025-2028.  Tasted November 2023

Podere Giardino Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Le Tracce 2019

Highly unusual for a 2019 Brunello and in this case also for the declamation in general. Sappy, resinous and artificially constructed aromas indicate faults, non-traditional style and suspect winemaking practices. From southerly vines near Sant’Angelo in Colle and a long (36 month) aging time spent in French wood. Soaked up too much, clouded the fruit and in the end there is high alcohol and a lack of balance.Tasted November 2023

Podere Le Ripi Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Cielo di Ulisse 2019

A team of 33 strong manages a 100,000 total bottle production for Francesco Illy’s Podere Le Ripi. In 2016 the estate grew from 12 to 34 hectares and is today under the guidance of CEO and Winemaker Sebastian Nasello. Two terroirs for Brunello, to the east Castelnuovo and Camigliano area in the west. Cielo Di Ulisse is Brunello from the latter, bottled back in May. This alluvial terroir is shared with Antinori’s Pian delle Vigne, of lower elevation down by the river with a surround of forest. A place that struggles in rainy seasons with an average yield of 6-7 tonnes per hectare. Other estates here are Cupano and Elia Palazzesi. This is a terroir where the ancient retreating river moved and left behind sand, outcrops of Galestro, erosion and run-off down from the hill of Campo del Drago and Capanna. Some Pietraforte is also found. Has settled in with six months refinement and the vintage is one “where both the (western and eastern” sectors performed in a positive way.” No real stressors, quality and quantity, higher yields in their alluvial area where that schisty Galestro and also the Pietraforte have their place. Fine, clean and precise for Montalcino, a transparent red juiciness and succulence that shows early picked sangiovese and captured acidity, both at their ripest for the time and place. There is an underlying earthiness, neither chalky nor sous bois but something sweetly vegetal. Fine and also a beef bone marrow quality, a bit grasso” grassy and oily. Flows naturally and lingers long. Likely some this label’s better to best tannins though pH is under control and the aforementioned acidity stays strong. Drink 2024-2029.  Tasted November 2023

Podere Le Ripi Brunello di Montalcino Amore e Magia DOCG 2019

At Castelnuovo in the east the challenge is in the hot vintages where the silty, sandy calcarativo terroir is not high in limestone nut more like a calcareous dust. Also a calanico of clay so the geology is quite diverse. The key overarching plan is to find balance between phenolic maturity and acidity. “We are one of the first to pick,” tells Sebastian Nasello, starting at the beginning of September, even the end of August. “I want to work on the pH as best I can and not lose the spicy acidity.” He also insists on capping alcohol at 14.5 percent, especially when working with natural ferments and low use of sulphites. “Amore E Magia” is Brunello from Le Ripi’s estate vineyards, specifically the single plot of Magia and so here is a label that combines love and the place. A warmer place and because of the easy and low stress vintage this would have been picked very early, right at the advent of September when acids ran high, pH had yet to rise and tannins were still just a bit green. Fermented in foudres, aged in grandi botti (by Bozen) for 28 months, followed by concrete for eight or nine more. Shows fuller body but also depth of fruit than the Cielo though less brightness and excitability. It’s a matter of place and it should be supposed also style though cousins are kin and these wines know one another very well. The variegate tannins express character and lend this Brunello its personality. Mixed geology at this farm has much to do with the wine’s final result. Ageing should be long. Drink 2024-2031.  Tasted November 2023

Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino Vigna I Poggi 2019

Poggi is the cru within the cru, the vineyard at the highest point of the estate (upwards of 600m) and planted in 2005. “Ten years ago the wines that came out of this vineyard were too fresh,” admits Alessio Sostegni. The evolution of the vineyard has come to act out a meeting of concentration and acidity for a guarantee of freshness and so deserves to be a Vigna-designate Brunello. Aging includes some 23 hL Stockinger botti and this is a wine that shows the recent beneficial changes made at Poggio Antico. Speaks to climate change but also higher attention paid to organics, sustainability and the fact that the estate is an isolated one and every vintage is very different. Replaces the more ubiquitous Altero label which was a barrel selection and now Vigna is both a reflection of change but also necessity, if only because PA doesn’t need to rely on the idea of barrel selection to make a next level wine. It means the team is evolving and doing what is right today. Lots of limestone and schist derived Galestro, poor soils and the sangiovese delivers citrus, like blood orange (including zest and pith), the idea of bergamot, but also a very unique mineral chalkiness that streaks through the entirety of the wine. That is the language of soils talking and it is a taster’s imperative to pay close attention. The days of Altero were those that tried to impress but I Poggi changes the discourse and now the wine is about making an impression. This is very worth getting hands on a few bottles. There are not so many available. Approximately 7,000 bottles produced. Drink 2026-2035.  Tasted November 2023

Ridolfi Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG Donna Rebecca 2019

Ruffino Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG Greppone Mazzi 2019

Salicutti Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG Piaggione 2019

Salicutti Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Sorgente 2019

The most substance and power comes from Sorgente, much more than Piaggione and clearly as compared to the classica Annata. What’s also evident is the tension between parts, all elastically tied in tether to one another, stretching, expanding and contracting on what seems like an endless or perpetual basis. Moments of acting crispy, chewy and crunchy are on the cycle and so fruit, acid and tannin all take turns, one after another, then back to the beginning again. The wheel keeps on turning and we don’t know where Sorgente will be tomorrow but the ferment, elévage, aging and now bottle time have all gone extremely well. This will age somewhat indefinitely and become a Brunello for the ages. Drink 2028-2040.  Tasted November 2023

San Polino Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Helichrysum 2019

More volume and substance of course when you taste Helichrysum side by each with Katia Nussbaum’s classica but still the restraint and the stream of consciousness charm is what you seek in this fantasy of a wine. The cask is yet to fully integrate and the piques of spice fill the spaces in between, but given four years this will show its grace. At 10 it will accompany you for a memorable meal. Drink 2027-2034.  Tasted November 2023

San Polo Brunello Di Montalcino Podernovi DOCG 2019

San Polo Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG Vignvecchia 2019

Talenti Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG Piero 2019

Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG 2018

Capanna Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva DOCG 2018

Caprili Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva DOCG Adalberto 2018

Fattoi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG 2018

Next level fruit from 2018 Riserva but nothing out of the ordinary for Fattoi or the vintage and yet it’s hard not to see this as a most generous expression of that topsy turvy season. Just as 2019 Annata makes itself available the same can be said for 2018 Riserva. A fine wine of fluidity and brace, comfort and nurturing. Lovely swirl around and around, a round sangiovese but yet there are some tense moments because it is after all sangiovese. Fulsome and plenty of energy in the body politic to dance and please for years to come. Brava once again from the very philanthropic estate and always wine of great heritage. Drink 2024-2030.  Tasted November 2023

Frescobaldi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG Ripa al Convento di Castelgiocondo 2018

Full ripeness, concentration and gravitas fills the bottles of Frescobald’s Riserva label for the historic edifice of Ripa al Convento di Castelgiocondo. Here is a Brunello di Montalcino so right and exacting for the times, full advantage of the best aspects of 2018 captured and disseminated by a team of experts. Readier than most ‘18s because of natural fruit sweetness but even more so acidity of a similar if even higher ilk. The tannins are surprisingly unaggressive which allow for access this early in a Riserva’s tenure. Drink 2024-2031.  Tasted November 2023

Il Palazzone Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG 2018

Not all estates produced Riserva out of 2018 and yet those who did usually made the decision because their vineyard would have reframed better than many. Il Palazzone’s oldest vineyard of 50-plus years is such a place and worthy of gifting fruit for said purpose. This 2018 is blessed of both an aromatic and also textural liqueur that speaks to experience, concentration and finally refinement. There is almost no comparison between the Annata and Vigna ‘18s and this Riserva. Things are both heightened and finer in Riserva though the wine is far from dense. The mouthfeel is silken like organza textile and the fruit beautifully resolved. Acids are quite sweet and the only distraction comes from some vanilla candle-scented, as yet unresolved four and a half years spent aging in wood. Drink 2025-2031.  Tasted November 2023

La Fiorita Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva DOCG 2018

Tenuta San Giorgio Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG 2018

On the lighter and less ambitious side of the Riserva spectrum, not unusual and in fact appreciated from the vintage. A take what 2018 is want to give and pay respect to the levels of fruit concentration and structure made available. There is some sweetness to the acids and a repeat in the tannins with spices and cinnamon heart spiciness to carry fruit energetically forward. Not what some would consider proper in terms of Riserva but drinking really well nonetheless. Drink 2024-2028.  Tasted November 2023

Other Vintages and Campione di Botti

Salicutti Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Piaggione 2021 (Campione)

Beautioful perfume that speaks to ’21’s gentle swarthiness. Hard to believe what a settled place in which this has already come to pass. Tells Maximilian Hildebrandt, “if it wasn’t for the frost this would have been a very balanced vintage.”

Salicutti Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Teatro 2021 (Campione)

Just so much more serious, structured and poised, not to say anything negative about Piaggione but it does not hold a vertical candle to Teatro. This is the epitome of finding succulenza reduced in a botte sample, Precision is drawn with an architectural line and if this is in fact muscular you would only know by the verticality of its tannins. A special vineyard but many people think the opposite. The question begs, is Teatro akin to Bourgogne? Perhaps – it’s depth and length are finest.

Salicutti Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Teatro Finari Alti 2021 (Campione)

From the highest (alto) reach of the vineyard, now separated unto itself, smaller berries and like the approach of Lorenzo Magnelli at Le Chiuse who directs this special fruit into Brunello and when the season is right, also Riserva. These small bits of sangiovese fruit of low juice to skin ratio will make an entirely different wine. Crunchy mineral salts and soil elements that induce a particular aftertaste but only after the palate has been fully engaged. Flavours awaken the senses and distract from the tannins, for a spell, but their attack is both delayed and less sever. The fineness here presents the string possibility for epiphanies to come later.

Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG 2019

Actually from a single vineyard called Vignavecchia Mercatale and the oldest vines planted in 1987 at the border with Ridolfi. Riserva 2019 will not be released for another year plus a few months so this bottled Canalicchio poetry has yet to write its next stanzas after just a few that have been put to memory. And yet the story has a beginning, is moving through its first few maneuvers, schemes and intrigues towards the delivery of much, much more before any final lines are read aloud. Does this Riserva traverse at least the same chasm as between Rosso and Brunello? The answer is emphatically yes and in fact the gap is equally doubled because the sangiovese in cask must have been a monster while it was transferring from post alcoholic fermentation through malolactic fermentation and finally into the final wine it has become. Or not because what is now will not be in a few more years and that refrain will be repeated several times before it is nosed and tasted with any real developed maturity. What we do know is that Riserva 2019 is powerful while elegant, which is the ultimate goal. Drink 2028-2042.  Tasted November 2023

Older Vintages

Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Tenuta “Greppo” 2018

“We are in transition period, with new vineyards going in” explains Giampiero Bertolini. He talks about a new approach. “In the vineyard the plant structure and canopies are managed in a new way, with two parts coming up and together, to have the ability to change its trajectory, to open and or close depending on the needs in relation to the weather.” The last vintage and this one are perfect polar opposites of why this new methodology is key. Whereas 2019 is the new release for 90-plus percent of Montalcino producers the Biondi-Santi is always a year later, not because of botti time but because the entire process is measured, structured, painstaking and ultimately timeless. Not really surprising how this ’18 is quiet, demure and slow to release all there is. A cool season overall with 44 days of rain (out of 180 total) from May through to harvest. The second for the new Biondi-Santi team, with the finale postponed to the end of September, after the winds arrived from the north to dry out the vines and then what followed were warmer days and cooler nights. The result is as fresh and aromatically sapid a Biondi-Santi for many vintages as there has recently been. May have been a moody season but the wine is clean, airy, unencumbered and what is referred to as vertical. Fruit yes but not dripping from the flesh because it’s taut, quite this side of leathery and the alcohol quite low at 13.5 percent. When you talk about being careful to respect Biondi-Santi style combined with the concept of a classic vintage then this is exactly the combination of those two ideas. Not an easy vintage but the 180 plus 30 more days of work on this and this alone has made for a wine of perfect response. Will age very well. Drink 2026-2038.  Tasted November 2023

Col D’orcia Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG Vigna Nastagio 2018

Biondi Santi Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva DOCG Tenuta Il Greppo 1988

Rosso di Montalcino DOC (36)

Altesino Rosso Di Montalcino DOC 2022

Warm vintage for sangiovese in Montalcino and as always Rosso acts as the harbinger for the Brunello that will follow when the Anteprima wines are presented in November of 2026. Consumers will find darker, concentrated and luxe fruit, some but not formidable structure and generosity matched by equal and supportive sweetness in acidity. You can drink this straight away. The overall style really works for Altesino in 2022 Rosso – eventually it is the Brunello that will dutifully follow suit. Drink 2024-2026.  Tasted January 2023

Caprili Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2022

Somewhat deeper and therefore next level for Caprili while one will never forget the great 2020s and how their ferments were so sluggish before completing into high, high quality Rosso di Montalcino. This was surely quicker to the finish line and therefore also to the point but there is some structure involved. The third in a string of really well established and relayed Rosso vintages bodes well for the Brunellos to come. Drink 2024-2027.  Tasted November 2023

Col d’Orcia Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2022

This Rosso may finds its way onto by the glass restaurant lists in 50 countries but know this. The scent is purely Col d’Orcia, the potential for aging guaranteed and the secret lays in the trees, bushes, riverside brush and overall Orcia Valley location. Red fruit incarnate and a Rosso that speaks as clearly as it does confidently. Will look forward to tasting it on the 2’s in 2026 along with other Rosso, Brunello and Poggio al Vento ’22, ’12, ’02, ’92, ’82 and ’72. Drink 2024-2029.  Tasted November 2023

Elia Palazzesi Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2022

Very warm vintage for Rosso and so alcohols risen can mean heaviness but most producers will have surely found a way to exact balance in their wines. As here with Palazzesi’s ’22, rich and so full of fruit but neither heavy nor cloying and the result is something quite satisfying. Ready to roll with negligible tannin and acids as sweet as the fruit that precedes them. Drink 2023-2025.  Tasted November 2023

Fattoria La Magia Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2022

The oldest part of La Magia’s vineyard was replanted in 2018 to Alberello – “Becasue uou are working with three dimensions in every plant,” says Fabian Schwarz. “Every one is by itself, incurring its reactions to wind and rain, but not animals.” Just released after bottling early September. Very primary still, a work in progress, not so much reductive but on hold. In part because it was fixed to settle in newly acquired concrete tanks for a month or so, but it’s not predictive or explaining about what will become its eventual character. Really primary and at least six months should be needed to see this Rosso move into a fully finished state. Very fruity and fresh, ante-fresh actually with good purity and clarity. The weight is at the finish, another reason to give this wine some time. Drink 2024-2027.  Tasted November 2023

Le Potazzine Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2022, (Campione)

Talk about timing – this Rosso 2022 will be bottled tomorrow! It may be a Campione but this is as close to a finished wine without looking backwards or forwards as there can be. Nose and taste the sangiovese of Le Potazzine and you will know that their perfume is omnipresent, all-pervasive, a factor of place and necessity of style. Stylish sangiovese with a shadowy hint of Balsamico. A Rosso of fineness and finesse, grace and controlled chaos. This from the most sluggish and slow ferment on record – 57 days! How can a winemaker and a family sleep through such a time? How can their hearts survive? Well they do and the end result is beauty incarnate. Acidity and moderate structure, first one and then the other, layered and intertwined. Spot on for Le Potazzine. Drink 2024-2028.  Tasted November 2023

Pietroso Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2022

A Rosso from one of the hotter vintages on record and from vineyards that heat up when this happens despite being at elevation just outside of and at an almost similar height to the Montalcino hill. Clocks in at 15 percent while in studious balance but what stands out is the silky texture with high level glycerol involved. Some of the highest levels of naturally sweet fruit and acidity rolling together as one in what is just so very drinkable if at the same time weighty Rosso di Montalcino. Big wine, some structure that shows its power and yet not a wine to lose in the cellar. 17,000 bottles produced. Drink 2023-2027.  Tasted November 2023

Poggio Antico Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2022, (Campione, will be bottled in December)

Barrel sample: “In the past we used to make little Brunellos,” admits winemaker Alessio Sostegni, “but that has changed.” Now simply about freshness and a sangiovese to drink. Well if gently extracted, like an infusion with punching down only done in the earliest stage of the fermentation process. Really just to keep the cap wet. Surely in part because of the very warm vintage just 10 days maximum for Rosso. There is some wood but mostly stainless steel aging, but it is the barrel that brings the overall softness. As crisp and easy as it has ever been for Poggio Antico and yes, this is what you want to drink. Silky, smooth and pretty seductive for Rosso. Harvested by the middle of September, approximately a week ahead of 2021. Will be labeled at 14.5 percent alcohol. Approximately 20,000 bottles produced. Drink 2024-2026.  Tasted November 2023

San Felice Rosso di Montalcino DOC Campogiovanni 2022

Youthful Rosso from San Felice which is key because the hot vintage was doubly so at a località ike Campogiovanni. The juicy nature of sangiovese from young vines is captured with acidity in tact for a Rosso that is fine-tuned and full of tact. Also tactile because texture is like that of emulsifications and the wine finishes with a small attack of swarthy bites. Suggest to drink this easy because that will increase as the fruit fades off. Drink 2024-2025.  Tasted November 2023

San Polino Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2022

Feel the glycerin straight away from San Polino’s Rosso ’22 which is what happens to sangiovese from this località when the weather is warm and the vines work to concentrate fruit. Not hot like 2021 mind you but more than ample textural stuffing fills this glass. Solid, a bit grippy and chalky with late bite. Good complexity here. Drink 2024-2026.  Tasted November 2023

Talenti Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2022

Rosso comes from the part of the azienda where the youngest vines are maturing yet deliver a remarkably rich and concentrated level of sangiovese. A Rosso of expressiveness for the vintage and also one of length. It’s about fruit for Talenti and the specialty of a season, in this instance quite warm but there is succulenza and some of Montalcino’s finest Rosso charm. Vertical as needed, persistent as desired. That’s the crux of this Rosso situation and this 2022 expertly communicates what needs and wants. Expressive while full of freshness because the acidity is so well caught and in turn preserved. Drink 2024-2028.  Tasted November 2023

Tenuta Buon Tempo Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2022

Über fresh as if the wine is still working through its machinations and a carbonic maceration process is in the works. There is a gummy bear quality to the aromas to tell us the fruit has yet to fully integrate with the rest of this sangiovese’s parts. Wait six months and all will be right because there is some structure, purity and finally sweetness, as opposed to drying austerity in the tannins. Drink 2024-2026.  Tasted November 2023

Val di Suga Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2022

Fine Rosso here from the warmth of 2022 but Val di Suga has the great fortune to draw fruit from three areas, micro-climates and geological terroirs of Montalcino. The layering seems so right because here the heat is cooled by grapes that infiltrate and integrate with those that matured through more humid and arid days. Makes for a well-rounded Rosso that may feel thicker in texture than some but one than maintains ample freshness for its success. Drink 2024-2026. Tasted November 2023

Ucceliera Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2022

Though so bloody young and not yet close to be ready for drinking this Rosso by Ucceliera is already telling us everything we pretty much need to know. A wise and knowing example of fruit freshness, purity and that most sought after sangiovese aspect of Montalcino; succulenza. This is so real and properly made it should be on every Rosso list that anyone who wants to understand Montalcino will compile. Drink 2024-2029.  Tasted November 2023

Valdicava Rosso Di Montalcino DOC 2022

Rosso is made from the grapes that don’t qualify for Brunello and incidentally no top wines were made in both 2014 and also 2018. The first was a question of quality and the second a matter of allowing the vines to rebound and regenerate following the drought and heat of 2017. Vincenzo Abbruzzese says he “likes to think we have a very high bottom level,” a statement that could allude to both Brunello and this Rosso. The ’22 is just about to be bottled, within the coming weeks which makes it more of a finished wine than a campione. Another warm vintage for a juicy cherry red sangiovese, liquid chalky, northerly representative for the clay and Galestro landscape. Harmonious throughout, from entry through mid-palate to finish. A fine restraint and one with stuffing to travel long in the cellar. Drink 2024-2029.  Tasted November 2023

Voliero Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2022

A similar Rosso to Ucceliera but more on the side of simple, correct and easy. Take a stab at a glass on repeat over a year or so before looking at the readiness of sister property Ucceliera’s Rosso 2022. This is quite settled and good to go. Drink 2023-2025.  Tasted November 2023

Argiano Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2021

Easy, facile and grooving Rosso from Argiano, made from quality grapes conditioned and intended to please above all else. A simple expression of Rosso that speaks in everyday language, no matter the time or place for pop and pour activities. Very correct. Drink 2024-2026.   Tasted November 2023

Castello Romitorio Rosso di Montalcino DOC Colto 2021

From go the complexities out of Romitorio’s Rosso abound and bounce around the olfactory like kernels in the kettle or balls in a lottery machine. The activity is repeated on the palate from ripe and energetic sangiovese so unsettled it falls under the adjunct of needing time. The requiem calls for nurturing and guidance to find the way to tranquility. These seem like fresh acids and also the kind that may never relent but that’s perfectly fine! With food this will already sing a song of elevation. Sleepless in love, “the morning air was crisp as a brand new bank note. He swaggered like a surfer.” Joe Ely Rosso love and danger. Drink 2024-2027.  Tasted November 2023

Collemattoni Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2021

Purely and classically Collemattoni Rosso di Montalcino illumination with their ostensible sensibilities instilled into making the most dual-functional type. This means getable and put-away-able or as it is said by someone of German-Italian descent “two catches in a row,” though that is never something actually uttered in English. Nevertheless Collemattoni’s 2021 Rosso is such an ideal sangiovese we want in our glass today and will be pleased to have the same looking two, three, four and five years down the road. Drink 2023-2026.  Tasted November 2023

Donatella Cinelli Colombini Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2021

Perfectly Rosso, bright and fresh with just that extra bit of substance and texture to put this in mind of drinkability but also a class of super sustenance. Crisp, crunchy, beautiful, delightful and strong. What more could you wish for from Rosso di Montalcino? Drink 2024-2027.  Tasted November 2023

Fattoria dei Barbi Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2021

Barbi’s Rosso is spot on 2021 juicy, fresh and high acid to gift what is right and correct. Having tasted samples and also a finished bottle of the Stefano Cinelli Colombini’s Toscana Rosso Senza Sulfiti there is no doubt about the connection between the two wines. Puts each in good light and makes sense of their complimentary positions as kinfolk each so fine to sip. Drink 2024-2026.  Tasted November 2023

Franco Pacenti Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2021

Franco Pacenti’s Rosso ’21 straddles the line, on one side there is freshness and breaths of early morning Montalcino air. On the other the architecture is Etruscan, established and immovable. Take a sip and note the sway towards the side of amenability because after all this is Rosso and FP does what is essential for a wine of this appellation. The balsamic touch at the back end is just spot on and correct to accent the concluding actions of this Rosso. Drink 2024-2027.  Tasted November 2023

Giuseppe Gorelli Rosso Di Montalcino DOC 2021

That rare and favourable combination of rich and drinkable, a Rosso certifiably composed or Rosso sake. Perfectly ripened, fruit and acidity, classic if modern and clean, pure and reputable Rosso style. A mix of spice and sweetness so that all falls into place, especially for the palate. Drink 2023-2026.  Tasted November 2023

Il Marroneto Rosso Di Montalcino DOC 2021

Ignaccio is one of two Il Marroneto Rosso, “the classic” tells Alessandro Mori, compliment to son Jacopo’s next gen iteration. From a 0.7 hectare block farmed specifically for Rosso di Montalcino on the northeast side of the hill. The vines are 100 metres below the cru of Madonna delle Grazie at 420m and they deliver fruit that just simply tastes of the earth, naked and strong. There are no other Rosso that unites and coalesces this level of heritage, crazy and genius. Drink 2024-2029.  Tasted November 2023

Il Marroneto Rosso Di Montalcino DOC Jacopo 2021

The second Rosso, named for and now created by Alessandro Mori’s son as a next generation cultural take on Montalcino’s most important wine. It’s what the Montalcinese will open daily and Jacopo wants to make the kind you want to drink. “When I started to choose through the barrels to make the selection,” he explains, “my mind went to crunchy wines with beautiful structure and no aggressiveness. I wanted to make a red wine.” This Jacopo, is it. A red wine. Something that dares to reach out to personal taste, to what is right for the palate. The vintage hits the mark because it does exactly what the winemaker wanted. It’s what we want as well and ask that we can continue enjoying it for a while before moving on to the Brunello. Drink 2023-2026.  Tasted November 2023

Le Gode Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2021

For 2021 Rosso is a rich tapestry woven of acidity through fabric for a most textured Rosso. The lift and swarthy funk are up at that line where danger lurks but Le Gode keeps things formal with as much posit tug pull as it can muster. Brett lays high and tries to infiltrate but precocious luck and structural fortune are there to save the day. There are tannins here and they are brittle. That is OK because this is not a technically sound Rosso nor does it have to be. It will be loved by any who desire vim, relish and vividness – more importantly it is a stepping stone on the road to truly great Rossos to come. Drink 2024-2026. Tasted November 2023

Le Potazzine Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2021

The fact remains that a Potazzine is a Potazzine and here is not a rare one but clearly a Rosso that stands apart, set to an aromatic standard of hypnotic grace that makes Rosso so special. That said there are levels of richness and especially glycerol in 2021 that may not have been present in the last few vintages. How anyone could not fall in love with these scents, flavours and especially textures would be inconceivable. There is a chalky underlay as well and so structure is a part of this vintage. Wait a year and then drink over the following seven, perhaps even 10. Drink 2024-2030.  Tasted November 2023

Roberto Cipresso Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2021

Quite a rich, mature and fruit forward if developed Rosso with lower level acidity and roundness than a good many. Fruit is lovely and the mouthful quite creamy but also soft. Drink up what bottles you have or may soon acquire.  Tasted November 2023

San Guglielmo Rosso Di Montalcino DOC 2021

Sparkling clean, tight and an intensely red citrus Rosso. Just about as tart and acid lightning struck as it gets for Montalcino. Real, deliberate and delectable. Three week maceration and very gentle extraction for sure – no pressing involved. Not a bit. Pure, unadulterated and focused as sangiovese, exacting for Rosso to seduce the modern, discriminate and wishful palate, with no density or heaviness involved. For the kind of consumer in search of simple truths and respect for heritage in the cleanest way. Imagine the possibilities when better vintages provide the source. Drink 2023-2025.  Tasted November 2023

Biondi-Santi Rosso di Montalcino DOC Tenuta “Greppo” 2020

The first wine tasted inside the newly renovated aging room, a sangiovese fermented in concrete vats and aged in classic Slavonian botti. Here the vintage that will be available in 2024. “What we are looking for in a Rosso is to preserve the history of the estate,” says Giampiero Betolini. “It took nine blending sessions to arrive at what the team was happy with, to enact the style of Biondi-Santi.” The 2020 is freshness and acidity first and foremost, from five levels of selection in the vineyard. Just put your nose in the Rosso and you will know it is Biondi-Santi, lighter than 2019, reflective of a vintage, moderately low in alcohol and perfumed. The “stampa” of Tenuta Il Greppo with circulative acids, not swirling but seemingly travelling the palate in mimic of a classic hydro-biodynamic pattern. Pure, clean and piercing. The kind of impression that is warranted, especially with so much new cask involved. Length is greater than 75 percent of denominational Brunello DOCG which explains three things; selection, tireless trials and longevity. Drink 2024-2032.  Tasted November 2023

San Guglielmo Rosso Di Montalcino DOC 2020

A different vintage to both 2019 and 2021 but San Guglielmo’s micro-climate is so unique to weave a constant thread in the wines from vintage to vintage. A warmer place that needs just the gentlest extractions, no pump-overs nor stirring neither, because ripeness need not be magnified and holes need not be filled. You feel the aromatic texture that seamlessly repeats on the palate. Direct, taut, lightning red fruit, finessed with the best of the area’s Rosso. In this style mind you, of clarity, intensity and focus. A sangiovese you desperately want to drink but you have to love acidity, this acidity and style. Why would you not? Drink 2023-2025.  Tasted November 2023

Canalicchio di Sopra Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2019

Hard to argue against the idea that in 2019 the Rosso and the Brunello are closer together. Here there is some opulence and definitely more substance than the “average” Rosso so that some grapes could have theoretically gone either way. The difference is structure and so the Rosso vines will not deliver the kind of material for 15 years of aging. Also just slightly less acidity than the Brunello. In this vintage “the bottle makes the function of the barrel,” explains Francesco Ripaccioli. But this could trick many people because on the surface and in these first few years the identity is one of concentration and intensity. Drink 2023-2027.  Tasted November 2023

Le Chiuse Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2019

“A sangiovese from Montalcino is going to learn a lot from being in the bottle,” tells Lorenzo Magnelli. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a Brunello or a Rosso.” Never has this been more prescient and true (other than perhaps dfrom 2016) as this 2019, a wine where the chasm to Brunello is lessened but you have to look at the two wines in a completely different way. Magnelli’s approach is not single vineyard but a matter of size and site. The biggest berries matched with the location. If you can find a better Rosso than Le Chiuse’s 2019 there should be trens of thousands of sangiovese lovers that would like to know. Aromatic sound and vision, fruit matched by savoury qualities in perfect synch and so bloody harmonious in every way possible. Power and beauty, grip and elasticity. The biggest of Le Chiuse’s berries make for the juiciest Rosso that delivers an effect that is sweeter than Brunello. Drink 2023-2033.  Tasted November 2023

Podere Le Ripi Rosso di Montalcino DOC Sogni de Follia 2019

Rosso di Montalcino comes from Le Ripi’s vineyards to the west, a good Rosso area where the berries are bigger, the alluvial terroir gifts intendment and the sangiovese acts truly fresh. No hydric stress, plenty of q vs Q and PDQ, I’s dotted and T’s crossed. Total and also specific heat transfer for an acid-tannin relationship supportive by keeping this wine linear and it’s really quite salty. The 24 months aging in cask has equipped a Rosso with quantified structure and combined with the mineral salts puts it in a really gastronomical position. This should be poured with antipasti and primi, especially in the late fall when truffles and mushrooms are available. Sogni di Foglia, words of Francesco Illy, translated as “dreams of madness.” Up to interpretation, perhaps just words that make sense in the context of all the names of Le Ripi’s wines. Drink 2023-2027.  Tasted November 2023

San Guglielmo Rosso Di Montalcino DOC 2019

The first Rosso of the new age under the guise of Ilaria and Michele at San Guglielmo. Some age and maturity showing on this ’19, but also more ripeness, phenolic presence and weight for what will follow out of the next two Rosso vintages. Good development, less red lightning fruit, ever so slightly jammy and certainly without the tension of 2020 an 2021. Drink 2023-2024.  Tasted November 2023

Cortonesi Rosso di Montalcino DOC La Mannella 2016

Tomasso Cortonesi says “in my opinion from this bottle there is a little bit too much evolution on the nose” but the tasting group of producers and tasters believes to give it some air and more will come. The palate is perfectly vibrant with less maturity, acids in pique shape and fruit showing no fatigue. Tomasso is his own biggest critic and I’ve heard him say this before so he clearly tries to create and is always looking for top freshness. There is plenty here for a seven year-old Rosso and there will be a few years of very positive drinking ahead.  Last tasted November 2023

Not simply freshness but unction, fruit culpability and basic perfection. The young vines of five years are just now coming into their speciality, that being quality fruit meeting and melting into more than a modicum of grip and structure. You could pour this Rosso for young Brunello seekers and old Rosso knowers. It will solicit and win over their collective hearts.  Tasted October 2019

Lovely effulgent fruit in this Cortonesi family Rosso radiates to extrapolate for a 2016 Brunello future, in many ways. First it is this Rosso that benefits from the particular handling, showing in an immediately gratifying plus available sangiovese that drinks with fast-forward Rosso promise and does so on its own terms, for the right Montalcino reasons. Second, even though the producer’s approach to Brunello is another matter in which generally speaking it deals only with older vines, it is this youthful exuberance and wealth of amenability meeting attack that bodes well for the impending grandi vini. It is here that we see the present and the future of Rosso di Montalcino and the respect it is both given and deserved. Drink 2019-2025.  Tasted February 2018

Toscana IGT

Fattoria Dei Barbi Senza Solfiti 2021, Toscana IGT

Stefano Cinelli Colombini’s idea has been to produce sangiovese without sulphites, not to make a natural or trendy wine but something that speaks to both heritage and the realities of today. A sangiovese made the way it once was, naked and alive but with the advantage of 2020 technology. This project had been in the works for several years and we tasted through young unfinished samples together back in October of 2021. This wine’s genesis and though ’21 is no longer the current release it makes the most sense to taste as a ready to drink wine. From concepts developed with the University of Pisa, clean as it could possibly be, a hint of carbonic pulse, extreme freshness, lightning red fruit, cracker acidity and an ideal match as an aperitivo with Barbi’s sharp cheeses coming out of the Caseificio dei Barbi. Drink 2023-2024.  Tasted November 2023

Giodo La Quinta 2021, Toscana IGT

Sangiovese from Montalcino vines, “un piccolo Brunello,” smiles Carlo Ferrini if instantly insistent in terms of this not being a Rosso. Exotic in its aromatic profile, of young vines that can’t help but express a cupboard of spices but also a dusty, brushy and southern Montacino mountain tea. Translates as herbal and floral but the grace and lightness of being feed imagination like Villages or Hautes-Côtes Bourgogne. May as well be a young Brunello or whatever your fantasy may be dreamed because that just is this sangiovese. If it smells like Brunello and tastes like Brunello then it must be…well never mind. Plenty of mimicry on offer so dream away at will. Drink 2023-2027.   Tasted November 2023

Il Palazzone Rosso di Palazzone Vino Rosso NV, Toscana IGT

The idea of Laura Gray who worked at Il Palazzone for more than two decades and a Rosso for “Rosso sake,” a “table wine” in the tradition of that concept, Montalcinese culture and also vernacular. To give a sangiovese credibility without appellative legality from bits and pieces of all the vineyards, including the IGT vineyard. No vintage on the label though the fruit is mainly 2021, yet there is some de-classified 2018 Brunello fruit. Amazing how primary it scents, juxtaposed by fresh rose petals, both curious considering it went to bottle in September of 2022. Lovely purity if not much complexity and just the right amount of volume, surely as intended. Drink 2023-2025.  Tasted November 2023

Pietroso 2020, Toscana IGT

Only Montosoli fruit and made as an IGT though you have to figure will one day, some day become a Vigna Brunello. The vines are young and the size of the vineyard small (as per the hill) with only 1.3 hectares farmed on the typical sandy Galestro as per the way these rocks are defined and described in Montalcino. Such a different expression for Pietroso, not in terms of style but surely aromatics and mouthfeel coming across apposite to the three-vineyard Brunello. More savour, sweet herbals and what can be best described as liquoroso. Amaro, sweet in perfume yet intensely dry on the palate. The name is in ode to the patriarchal grandfather, Berni Domenico, aged in Botti and tonneaux for two years. Quite the riches but my goodness such red fruit and so in the end this could only be Pietroso, no matter the vineyard. Always reminded of Montosoli’s savour and structure and so the longevity of this wine may be without bounds. Won’t be released until June of 2024. Smart choice. Drink 2025-2035.  Tasted November 2023

Podere Le Ripi Canna Torta 2021, Toscana IGT

Podere Le Ripi CEO and Winemaker Sebastian Nasello begins by saying “we have traditional Brunello but we also make wines for the next generation of wine drinkers. We have to care of them.” A mix of trebbiano and malvasia, six to eight months in vats on skins, followed by an additional six to eight in concrete. Grapes come from the western side of Montalcino, some of them purchased. A nickname meaning “a bad (or dull) shooter,” given to an employee who’s charge it is to control the deers. And so they dance on the label, as this does on the palate. Indeed this is a clean and rich example with just the right hints of tart fruits, herbs and shadows with hidden bits of umami. 2,000 bottles, more or less.  Drink 2023-2026. Tasted November 2023

Podere Le Ripi Cappuccetto 2022, Toscano Rosato IGT

One night (maybe two) of skin contact, not a salasso, a Rosato at heart, salty and a veritable salsa of sangiovese. It’s really, actually, ostensibly, allegedly if truly Montalcinese, of savoury sapidity (in reference to taste) and ultimately a piquancy. This Rosé does not chase any specific or established style but just something you want to drink. It’s fucking delicious is what it is. Lovely touch of green and that’s just right. Also a bitter nectarine, not quite ripe but tart and satisfying. Who would not want to drink this?? Drink 2023-2025.  Tasted November 2023

Podere Le Ripi Attenti al Lupo 2022, Toscana IGT

Sebastian Nasello is trying to create some wines that can pe poured and enjoyed at wine bars that show another side of what can be done n Montalcino. Introducing whole cluster sangiovese in its fourth vintage but the first that is fully being brought to market, of approximately 4,000 bottles. Raw and unfiltered, fine and pulsating measure of sauvage, a light and knowable amount of Brettanomyces that crept in at the end of fermentation. Lacks precision as a result but more than makes up for it with unbridled and gangly personality. The following vintage temperature was lowered during the svinato to avoid this occurrence. The texture is attractive yet the tannins are brittle and drying at the finish. Those who seek out the natural and the hands off as much as possible will want this vintage. Yet faults are faults and they happen. Drink 2023-2024.  Tasted November 2023

Podere Le Ripi Attenti al Lupo (Campione) 2023, Toscana IGT

Tenuta Le Potazzine Sangiovese 2021, Toscana IGT

Youngest and freshest of the sangiovese, fragrant and of a perfume as intoxicating as it is demure. It’s just everywhere in this light and understated wine. Roses and bergamot, a hidden message of balsamico, simplicity if something hidden in the shadows to hint at or tease what will be possible for Rosso (especially) out of the warm 2022 vintage. The possibilities are evident, the promise palpable. Drink 2023-2025.  Tasted November 2023

Good to go!

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