Brunello di Montalcino

Score

93

"Overt and ripe style to this wine. Fresh roses, black cherries and raspberries, together with macerated violets. The attack is firm yet balanced, with ripe, velvety tannins that turn chalkier in texture on the finish, fresh acidity and medium to full body. Despite the warmth at the end, it's youthful and good. Best after 2025."

Score

92

"The 2020 Brunello Di Montalcino sports a youthful ruby/red color and is ripe and expressive on the nose with the sweet perfume of baked strawberries, hints of blue fruit, candied violets, and toasted vanilla bean. Full-bodied, supple, and refined on the palate, with ripe tannins and a glossy texture, it retains very nice freshness and buoyancy on the palate and has a clean, even finish. It's highly approachable now and casts a wide net as an introduction to Brunello. Drink over the next 7-8 years."

Score

90

"The 2020 Brunello di Montalcino is smoky, with an array of crushed rocks, dusty earth and savory herbs giving way to black cherries. It sweeps across the palate with juicy red and black fruits accelerated by a core of acidity. With a spicy tinge toward the finish, the 2020 tapers off dry and long with a tactile mineral grip and hints of underripe plum."

Score

16

"Mid ruby. Savoury and minerally, liquorice nose with subdued, shy fruit hints. Subdued fruit on the palate yet with a brooding richness suggesting a delayed harvest. Well balanced, if a little heady. (WS)"

Score

94

"Bright deep red. Notes of graphite and ink complicate juicy red cherry and plums. Pure, clean, long and mineral, with a strong violet perfume lingering nicely on the lifted back end. A very typical Brunello from Collosorbo that is never especially powerful but showcases lovely balance and perfume. Drinking window: 2029-2036."

Score

92

"The garnet/red 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino is potent on opening, with aromas of dried cherries, leather, cedar, and cocoa powder. Rounded and full-bodied, it expands on the palate with fleshy tannins and a ripe mid-palate and finish. It's showing well now and is an approachable and generous style that I would prefer to drink over the next few years before it loses freshness. Drink 2024-2030."

Score

92

"The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino opens with a bouquet that blends savory herbs and worn leather with crushed wild berries. It's softly textured and round, with a pretty inner sweetness and juicy red fruits cascading under rosy inner florals. The 2019 tapers off long and gently tannic, as a bump of residual acidity maintains an energetic feel."

Score

92

"The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino impresses with a rich mix of crushed cherries and plums complemented by hints of clove and dried roses. This is soft-textured and potent, with a sweet-and-sour interplay of tart wild berries and spice enlivened by bright acidity. It tapers off with dusty tannins, yet only lightly structured, leaving hints of salted licorice and red currants to linger."

Score

90

Score

16

"Deep ruby with bricky rim. Deep, dark and concentrated nose with brooding richness. Generous with plenty of ripe fruit on the palate and with hints of Christmas pudding. Still strikes an admirable balance, even if it is a little too ripe to my taste. (WS)"

Score

96

Score

96

"Editors' Choice"

Score

94

Score

94

Score

92

Score

95

Score

95

Score

93

Score

93

Score

91