Vinous (96)

Deep red-ruby. Highly perfumed, mineral aromas of raspberry, red cherry, violet and iron. Wonderfully sappy but youthfully imploded in the mouth, this remarkably precise and well-delineated Brunello offers an extremely refined set of flinty red and black fruit herbal flavors. Finishes with a firm edge of tannins and very good floral and spicy lift. An outstanding, very pure and deep wine that really needs about a decade of patience. One of the Brunellos of the vintage.

Jeb Dunnuck (98+)

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino is rich in aromatics of black raspberry, menthol, sage, and lavender. It is fruit forward upfront, with pure cherry fruit, balsamic, and black tea with classically structured tannins and acidity that lifts off the palate and a long finish. It was aged for 6 months in tonneaux followed by two years in large barrels. Cellar 2-4 years and enjoy 2024-2036.

Vinous (90)

Poggio Antico's 2010 Brunello di Montalcino is a dark, sensual beauty. Black cherries, mocha, smoke, licorice, leather and cloves meld together in a racy, powerful Brunello built on pure texture. The style is rich, racy and super-intense, with silky tannins that support the structured finish. The 2010 spent three years in cask.

Wine Advocate (95+)

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino offers a pure and classic expression of the vintage with bright fruit tones, wild cherry, toasted nut, blue flower and forest floor. Whereas the other wines in the Poggio Antico portfolio undergo aging in smaller tonneaux, this wine is aged in large Slavonian casks instead. You taste the lift and brightness of the fruit, and it's all quite lovely. Grapes are sourced across a 13-hectare site at a very high 500 meters in elevation. The name of this area is I Poggi, and the soils here are a bit lighter and rockier with both schistous galestro and limestone alberese. I love the delicate approach here, the intensity of those floral aromas, and the silky nature of the mouthfeel. Some 34,000 bottles will be released in January 2021. This classic Brunello really stands out.

Wine Advocate (94)

The Poggio Antico 2019 Brunello di Montalcino has a pretty bouquet with a unique set of aromas that recall dried cherries with hints of rose potpourri or fragrant acacia wood. Those delicate floral notes give lift and energy to the bouquet. The only distraction is the 15% alcohol content. Otherwise, this wine is a good example of a classic vintage. Production is 37,800 bottles.

Wine Advocate (97)

The Poggio Antico 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (with 9,000 bottles going to market in January 2021) is a thickly textured and rich wine with fruit-driven flavors and extra fiber. The wine sings with the characteristics of this vintage that will be remembered for the sunshine, the warmth and the picture-perfect fruit. Each cluster hung from the vine with glorious perfection. There is more warmth and dark plum intensity here for sure, and you also get greater latitude in terms of those savory tones of leather, tobacco and tilled earth. The Riserva is sourced from the Il Vignone site at a high 500 meters above sea level where summer breezes keep the grapes healthy and ripe.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (97)

This was an exceptional year in Brunello and straight away you are struck by the depth of expression, and the tannic heft and width. Plenty of raspberry, rose petal and red cherry puree along with blackberry, campfire and brioche notes. A classic, signature Brunello with all that you expect from a 2016 in the region. Absolutely one to look out for, moreish, saline-streaked, mouthwatering and walks the line of power and finesse. This is just approaching the sweet spot for drinking but will hold. 30 months in bottle after 30 months in barrel. Slavonian oak casks for ageing.

Wine Advocate (96)

Poggio di Sotto doesn't miss a beat with this very special release. This is a glorious expression of the vintage, and the wine has absorbed the golden sunlight of Tuscany, delivering beautifully ripe, round and subtle fruit layers. The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino shows concentration, but not too much, and richness, but not too much. You get the power and the opulence of the vintage presented with the elegance and grace that is the house style at this venerated estate. Poggio di Sotto is one of the benchmarks of Montalcino, and the winery team continues the tradition with this 22,000-bottle release. There's a lot of red fruit energy deep inside that should stir this wine on course as it ages over the next two decades.

Falstaff (99)

Bright, flint garnet red. Seductive nose with pronounced notes of wild raspberry, some strawberry, underlaid with liquorice tones. On the palate extremely juicy and clear, many churches, in addition pomegranate and some blood orange, much tension, very long finish.

Wine Advocate (97)

Made with certified-organic fruit, the 2017 Brunello di Montalcino is an impossibly graceful wine from a challenging vintage. This bottle defies the odds—and the dry heat of the growing season—to reveal soft layers of cherry, cassis and more vibrant fruit. It glides clear over the palate with silky momentum, and you only notice the tannins at the very end. Even those should soften and integrate as this collectible wine continues it bottle evolution. Production is 19,000 bottles.

Jeb Dunnuck (98+)

I was able to taste the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino three times for this report, and it’s one of the great wines of the vintage. It takes on a bit more muscular style for the Poggio di Sotto estate, but it retains the DNA of the estate at large with its outstanding clarity. It’s medium ruby-colored and reveals notes of pure cherry, anise, wildflowers, wet stone, and tea leaf. Structured and long on the palate, it has ripe, chiseled tannins, a balanced spine of acidity, and notes of salted orange through the finish, with a long-lasting perfume. Its transparency, balanced with its complexity, makes this one of the most intriguing wines, and if stored properly, it will only improve with time in the cellar.

Wine Advocate (98)

The Poggio di Sotto 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva shows extra muscle definition, power and heady layers of rich fruit. This is all in line with the personality of the vintage, which was sunny and warm with golden sunlight throughout the summer season. This wine stands out for its fine-gained texture, which is smooth and polished. This Riserva offers aromas of cherry and blackberry and shows the depth that you should expect of a classic Riserva bottling.

Wine Advocate (100)

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a stunning wine and an archetype of classic Sangiovese from Montalcino. I could drink this wine all day if it weren't so expensive. This Riserva is extremely fine and nuanced with the thinnest of fibers that wash over the palate like fine silk. Certified-organic fruit shapes aromas of cassis, cranberry, peony, tea leaf, orange and rusty nail. The aromas are tight and contained, yet they become increasingly expansive and expressive as the wine opens in the glass. It has contained power and, most importantly, a relatively moderate 14% alcohol, which makes all the difference in terms of balance and elegance. 8,000 bottles were made.

Vinous (92)

The 2017 Poggio di Sotto Rosso di Montalcino will need some time to fully open up. The nose is reticent, requiring quite a bit of coaxing, before a bouquet of fresh sweet strawberry, cherry, Tuscan spice box, dusty florals and hints of mint lift from the glass. On the palate, soft textures flood the senses, offset by tart red fruits, minerals and spice, as the 2018 seems to hover - well poised, almost weightless, yet still fully satisfying. The finish is long and very pretty, as fresh red fruits resonate above a tactile mix of acid, minerals and light tannin, giving way to a singular red floral note that seems to go on for minutes.

Wine Advocate (95)

This wine has more in common with a Brunello than it does a Rosso. Made with certified-organic fruit, Poggio di Sotto's 2018 Rosso di Montalcino is a very fine and smooth expression that caresses the senses. The bouquet is enlivened by forest berry, peat moss, lilac and wildflowers. The 2018 vintage is usually understated in personality, but this wine speaks of elegance and nuance. It's just stunning.

Vinous (95)

Shavings of cedar, blood orange, crushed cherries, dried flowers and stone dust form a mesmerizing bouquet as the 2019 Rosso di Montalcino slowly opens in the glass. There are depths of ripe textural fruits here, offset by zesty spices and bright acidity that sweeten the expression while energizing it as well. A web of fine tannins coats the palate through the finish, coupled with a core of primary concentration and sweet inner florals that seem to never truly fade. What a glorious achievement from Poggio di Sotto. The 2019 spent a whopping 43 days macerating on the skins, followed by 29 months of refinement in cask. It’s undoubtedly a baby Brunello.

Imbued with the polyphonic symphony of Tuscan terroir, the Poggio San Polo Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2004 originates from Montalcino's ripest Sangiovese grapes. Produced in the San Polo winery, owned by the illustrious Allegrini family, the generous contribution of marly soils and climatic conditions honours it with a grand finesse and complexity.

Aged in French tonneaux and large Slavonian oak barrels, its compositions wonderfully evolve over five years resulting in a luscious spectrum of dark fruits, spices, and earthy undertones. Its sheer brilliance manifests in its harmonious balance of acidity, tannins, and svelte, full-bodied structure.

With a unique ability to unfurl its full potential when decanted, Poggio San Polo Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2004 reinforces its standing as an Eden of enological excellence. Savour this liquid poetry to experience a profound immersion into an ineffable Italian winemaking tradition.

James Suckling (100)

Earthy aromas of bark, sand, truffles, graphite, rust, terracotta and sandalwood rise up from the deep with Burgundian poise; fruitier orange zest and preserved lemons glimmer in their wake, while riper incense and tar lurk in this dense forest of aromas. Physics itself gives way as the line between reduction and oxidation is blurred. There’s such richness to the center palate, but the fruit there is vivacious and elegant, swaddled in robust but generous tannins that breach the outermost reaches of the mouth. The finish is hauntingly long, the after effects of the acidity unworldly. This is certainly in a quiet, reserved stage of evolution, and will need time to fully mature in bottle. Drink in 2025.

Vinous (95)

The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino is laced with spicy, dark red fruits, wild, sweet and spicy floral tones that give way to savory herbs, hints of animal musk and black earth. On the palate, it's soft, enveloping, almost creamy in texture and offset by a mix of savory spice, fine tannin and saturating mineral tones as black cherry and sage seem to hover on the senses. The finish is spicy and long, structured, but also with vibrant primary fruits holding on strong, as a twang of savory herbs lingers long.

Wine Advocate (95)

The Castello Romitorio 2016 Brunello di Montalcino is a classic expression of the vintage, showing lots of ripe fruit, crushed mineral, herbal nuances and varietal-driven purity. This wine nails that sweet spot between elegance and power that is not easily achieved. It offers an expanded array of Sangiovese flavors with wild cherry, forest floor, crushed clove and medicinal herb, but it also shows plump density and a velvety texture. Filippo Chia and his team have created a sold wine for medium or long-term drinking. Production is exactly 58,874 bottles.

Wine Advocate (94)

The Castello Romitorio 2017 Brunello di Montalcino comes from an estate that is quickly becoming a leader in a special niche of the Montalcino market. The wine is modern and soft, showing lots of contained ripeness and creaminess, yet it successfully embraces the fundamentals of the appellation and Sangiovese, thanks to its bright acidity and finely tuned structure. Few wines reach this level of precision, especially in a challenging vintage such as this.

Vinous (95)

Darkly alluring and spicy, the 2019 Brunello di Montalcino emanates from the glass with an earthy blend of crushed rocks, savory herbs, spiced blood orange and dried cherries. This soothes the palate with its soft textures and depths of wild berry fruit. Brisk acidity and mineral tones add lift but also depth. The 2019 finishes dramatically long and structured, turning youthfully inward on itself as orange and rosy inner florals resonate. The house style is on full display here, elevated by the radiant fruits of the 2019 vintage.

Wine Spectator (98)

This stunning red exudes bright cherry, blackberry, plum, iron and tobacco aromas and flavors, all knit together almost seamlessly, with vibrant acidity and refined tannins. Shows a combination of power and grace, with a long fruit and savory aftertaste. Best from 2023 through 2047. 620 cases made, 150 cases imported.

Vinous (97)

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva lifts up with elegance and richness, as sweet lavender and violets give way to a more savory display of black cherries, Tuscan dust and cedar box with hints of cooling mint. This rushes the palate with sweet red fruits and spices, silky yet lifted, and displaying a delicacy not expected from the Riserva category, yet quite welcome. Beneath is a core of power and density just waiting to unfold. Minerality comes through in the finale, mingling with a fine coating of tannin and hints of spicy citrus. This harmonious Brunello will have a very long life. The Riserva is a selection of two Brunello barrels, one tonneau and one large cask, from Romitorio’s cellar. Simply stunning.

Falstaff (96)

Clear ruby. Charming nose with rich notes of ripe plums, some cranberry and wild raspberry, liquorice in the background. Characterised on the palate by grippy, gripping tannin, hearty, fine ripe fruit, seems a bit rough on the finish.

Introducing the distinguished Salicutti Brunello di Montalcino Piaggione Riserva 2013, a profound embodiment of Italian winemaking. Produced in the globally renowned Montalcino region, this exceptional wine hails from Salicutti, a prestigious estate committed to biodynamic practices and dedicated to preserving the purity of Sangiovese. The Salicutti Brunello di Montalcino Piaggione Riserva 2013 is birthed from grapes harvested from the Piaggione vineyard, known for its uniquely diverse microclimate and rich soil composition.

Aged for over 36 months in Slavonian oak barrels, this rich, ruby-red coloured Brunello offers a complex bouquet of ripe cherries, blackberries, and tobacco, all underpinned by a solid structure and velvety tannins. The lengthy ageing process enhances the wine’s depth and ensures its long-term potential, allowing connoisseurs to appreciate its evolving character. Offering an unparalleled taste experience, it is a testimony to Salicutti's commitment to creating an excellent and environmentally conscious winemaking.

Wine Advocate (97)

The 2007 Brunello di Montalcino is a pure, rapturous beauty. Layers of sweet red fruit meld into rose petals, licorice, spices and mint as the 2007 seduces all of the senses. The ripe, open personality of the year is present, but there is more than enough structure to provide balance. Floral notes reappear on the vibrant, beautifully articulated finish. The 2007 is more than a worthy follow up to the epic 2006. Even better it should drink well quite a bit earlier than that wine. Sadly, there are fewer than 1,000 cases to go around. This is a magical Brunello in every way. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2032.

Vinous (95)

The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino is a total charmer, understated at first, but worthy of patience, as swirling unlocks depths of cinnamon and clove-tinged cherries, nuances of sweet mint, pine shavings and white smoke. It envelopes the palate with ripe textural fruits, soothing and round, while saline-minerals and fine tannins mingle throughout, adding a balanced tension. Nothing is out of place here, as the 2012 finishes lightly structured, remarkably fresh and perfumed with red inner florals and savory spice. This is a beautiful and graceful interpretation of the vintage that still has many years of positive evolution for collectors to look forward to. Salvioni only made Brunello (no Rosso) in 2012, and production was down at 12,000, usually around 1,8000 to 19000 bottles total, between Rosso and Brunello. This was due to the heat of the vintage and smaller berries.

Vinous (96)

An earthy display of mineral-encased red fruits and wild herbs lifts from the glass, as the bouquet of the 2015 Salvioni Brunello di Montalcino evolves into a dark mix of ripe black cherry and dusty spices with overarching floral notes. On the palate, soft, enveloping ripe red fruits open up in an unexpectedly approachable and alluring display, with hints of sweet spice and inner florals. With more time, the flavors turn more to the savory spectrum, adding hints of dried herbs, with cascading minerals, all pushed forward by brisk acidity. The finish is long, as its staining red fruits are offset by zesty spices and acids, revealing just a hint of fine tannin beneath it all. This is an especially forward and easy-to-like expression of Salvioni, which I’m tempted to start drinking early, yet there’s enough primary fruit and acids to carry it over the medium term in the cellar.

Wine Enthusiast (98)

Camphor, ripe wild berries, underbrush and pipe tobacco are just some of the aromas that emerge on this stunning red. Full-bodied and smooth, the elegantly structured, savory palate boasts juicy Marasca cherry, truffle and licorice alongside streaks of spiced cranberry and fresh acidity that keep it focused and balanced. Taut, refined tannins provide seamless support