98-99 Point Wines

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This wine is a star of the vintage. It is made with fruit from vines planted in 1968 in ancient soils rich in quartz at a very high 600 meters in elevation. The Le Ragnaie 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Ragnaie V. V. (the initials stand for “vecchie vigne,” or "old vines") reveals a soulful personality with a very elegant set of aromas and compelling complexity. There is heritage rose, lilac and something earthy like tarragon or marjoram. Underripe cherry and redcurrant are found at the core; however, that ethereal herbal note continues to the palate where it meets a chalky mineral tone. Powdery tannins stick to the side of your mouth for a very long time. Only 4,400 bottles were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RPA similar medium red color, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Ragnaie V.V. is another showstopper, with stunning floral and layered aromas of licorice, ripe red cherries, blood orange, and clove. Mouthwatering and structured, this is a noble wine, and while it’s medium-bodied. It’s not for the faint of heart. With ripe, angular tannins that frame this wine, it propels through the palate with notes of saline and vibrant acidity. Long and tension-packed, it demands several years of proper cellaring and feels as though it will improve over the coming two decades at a glacial pace. Drink 2027-2047.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDOwner Riccardo Campinoti reports that the 2019 harvest was slightly early by the estate’s standards: he picked his 50-plus-year-old vines on 4 October, giving the must a long maceration of 45-50 days. After seven months in bottle, it demonstrates the same precision and minerality that were evident in cask. Currently somewhat stern, it’s intriguing in its reticence. Through iron and warm stone nuances, black raspberry pokes through. This will never be a big, rich wine, yet as the dense layers unfold and those chalky tannins relax their grip, its enveloping nature will provide much pleasure.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2019 Brunello di Montalcino VV is youthfully coy in the glass, lifting up with a nuanced blend of dried roses, licorice and clove, excited by hints of spiced oranges. This is cool-toned and saline in character, with silken textures contrasted by crisp red fruits and salty mineral tones that saturate the senses. The 2019 finishes long, primary and with crunchy tannins, yet there are depths of complexity here just waiting to unfold. This is quite forbidding today, yet in five to ten years, I expect a magical experience.Vinous Media | 95+ VMBright and tangy cherry and raspberry fruit heralds this supple red, which is ripe and juicy, backed by fine-grained tannins, with floral and earth accents adding detail. Vivid, charming and integrated, this feels approachable now, yet should improve over the next decade. Drink now through 2040. 370 cases made, 50 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

Fragrant and refined, the beautiful 2019 Brunello from L’Aietta stuns with enticing aromas of perfumed berry, forest floor, spice, blue flower and camphor. On the delicious, elegantly structured palate, polished tannins accompanty succulent Morello cherry, blood orange, baking spice and rosemary alongside closely-knit, ultra-refined tannins. Bright acidity keeps it energized. There’s already so much going on here but hold for even more complexity. Drink 2027–2039. Abv: 14% Kerin O’Keefe | 98 KO

Brooding and balsamic, the 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Paganelli is a dark stallion of a wine with a bouquet to meditate to, wafting up exotic spices, flint, incense, dried roses, black cherries and hints of ashen stone. It’s racy yet complex and sensual, with silken textures and masses of mineral-inflected red berry fruits, all guided by a core of zesty acidity as a tinge of sour citrus adds tension throughout. Pleasantly chewy yet still mouthwatering, the 2019 leaves a web of fine tannins, along with a hint of orange zest and cloves to linger on and on and on. This is drop-dead gorgeous.Vinous Media | 98 VMThe estate’s prize plot, Vigna Paganelli was planted in 1964. Fabrizio Bindocci says that while it performs well even in the most challenging vintages, it is only bottled separately in the best years. The rejected fruit of three subsequent selections is completely discarded, rather than used for another wine. Gorgeously perfumed but properly restrained, the 2019 doles out nutmeg, cinnamon, black tea and incense on a persistent backdrop of dried cherry and black plum. Dense and sizeable but deftly balanced in its proportions, it remains effortlessly afloat as it expands assuredly across the palate. Soft, grainy tannins leave the mouth cleansed, yet this needs time, gratifyingly, for all its intricacies to be revealed.Decanter Magazine | 97 DECThe 2019 Vigna Paganelli Riserva is perfumed with gorgeous notes of fresh fallen leaves, incense, rose petal, and currants. The palate has energy and drive, with lithe tannins, fresh just-ripe berries, rosemary, and white pepper. There is a spherical shape to the finish, which is deliciously long. Vigna Paganelli was dry-farmed in this vintage.The Wine Independent | 97 TWIA mix of fruity and savory, this red offers a distinctive ray of graphite, along with cherry, strawberry, juniper, tomato leaf, earth and sanguine flavors. There’s good grip on the finish, but the tannins are softer and broader, more chalky than piercing. Shows fine balance and length, needing a little more time to knit together. Best from 2028 through 2046. 3,300 cases made, 1,500 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe Il Poggione 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Paganelli (with 40,000 bottles produced) sees a prolonged 48 months in oak botti with an additional 12 months in bottle. Fruit comes exclusively from a 12-hectare vineyard that was originally planted in 1964. We haven’t seen this Riserva since the 2016 vintage. It starts off with broad richness, and the bouquet fires on all cylinders. It shows tart blackberry and plum with cured tobacco leaf and sweet baking spice. You feel a rich buildup on the palate from what is a naturally concentrated vintage. I have adjusted the drinking window to be a bit shorter compared to past vintages.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Paganelli is a deep ruby red color and is dark with aromas of black licorice, sappy herbs, toasted cedar, black cherry, plum pit, turned earth, and cocoa. Full-bodied, it has a lovely, refined texture with a bit of gamey richness, ripe tannins, a plush, velvety texture, and a hearty but well-managed finish. It’s going to drink well over the next 12-15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDThis has a concentrated nose of blackberries, licorice and notes of espresso. The palate is medium- to full-bodied with supple tannins and red-fruit flavors complemented by cedar. Elegant Brunello. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2019 Vigna Paganelli Riserva opens with aromas reminiscent of resin, blue flower, pipe tobacco and a whiff recalling burnt rubber. Full-bodied and enveloping, the palate delivers ripe black plum, cherry extract, licorice and tobacco set against a backbone of velvety tannins. Abv: 15% Kerin O’Keefe | 93 KO

Smooth and delicious, the 2019 Podere Le Ripi Cielo d’Ulisse has captivating aromas of violet, ripe plum, exotic spice, new leather and a whiff of truffle. Full-bodied and enveloping, the palate shows ripe black cherry, raspberry compote, licorice, blood orange and tobacco alongside a backbone of tightly woven, fine-grained tannins. Fresh acidity keeps it balanced while a salty note lingers on the close. Drink 2028–2039. Abv: 14% Kerin O’Keefe | 98 KOA medium red hue, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Cielo D’Ulisse is the fourth vintage coming from the vineyards overlooking the Ombrone River. It’s wonderfully expressive and cascades from the glass with aromas of wild Mediterranean herbs, dusty earth, ripe raspberry, fresh leather, and porcini. Medium-bodied, it’s graceful through the palate, with fine tannins, even acidity, and clean mineral accents. It’s a very appealing wine with a lot of character to enjoy over the next 15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDDark and intense, the 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Cielo d’Ulisse entices with a burst of exotic spice, zests of tangerine, cedar shavings and rum-soaked cherries. This is cool-toned and racy in style, with crisp wild berry fruits enhanced by vibrant acidity. Violet inner florals arch across the palate. This maintains momentum even as crunchy tannins descend upon the senses, leaving a stain of tart cranberry and orange slowly fading. I expect that three to five years of cellaring will reveal a Brunello of boundless energy. The Cielo d’Ulisse is a single vineyard wine that hails from vineyards in the extreme southwest of Montalcino.Vinous Media | 94 VMVanilla, cherry and blackberries macerate in cloves and cinnamon on the nose. The palate is tart and sweet with cherries and citrus before herbs and soil push back and add a sophisticated, earthy, bitter note.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEAn elegant red, offering vivid cherry and strawberry flavors driven by vibrant acidity, with sinewy tannins underneath. Accents of earth and flowers chime in as this winds down on the dense finish. Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe clean and sumptuous 2019 Cielo Ulisse bounces out of the glass with cherry and apricot, as traces of chestnut flit in the background. A pulpy core of juicy red berries is framed by sandy tannins and lifted by bright acidity. This tapers off with a twist of orange peel. Midweight, pretty and immediately approachable. Francesco Illy’s holdings in Montalcino’s western limit sit at a low 150 metres on alluvial, silty soil strewn with stones. While the vines bask in the strong afternoon sun, the thick surrounding forest helps mitigate the heat.Decanter Magazine | 92 DEC

A bright red color, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino was bottled in March of 2024 and will be released in March of 2025. The aromas are layered and complex with notes of red berries, cranberries, rosemary, orange peel, and black licorice that are constantly evolving in the glass as it opens. Medium-bodied and structured, but also elegant with a weightless feel, it has a long and savory finish. It feels as though it’s going to gain in intensity with more time in bottle. Drink 2027-2050.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe radiant Biondi Santi 2019 Brunello is a classic offering from the estate and follows the focus on elegance, energy and restraint that Franco Biondi Santi and his father and before him were both known for. It opens with enticing scents of violet, dog rose, wild berry and dark culinary spice that on the vibrant, focused palate segue into red cherry, pomegranate, licorice and black tea. Taut, refined tannins provide support while racy acidity keeps it balanced and lends tension. It’s still youthfully austere and shows great aging potential. Drink 2031–2044. Abv: 13.5%Kerin O’Keefe | 98 KOThis wine will be released in March 2025. The Biondi-Santi 2019 Brunello di Montalcino was born in a generous vintage that provided abundant high-quality fruit. The growing season became progressively warmer throughout summer, without heat spikes, and it ended with well-timed rains and a warm autumn. Harvest started in mid-September, and the grapes ripened according to the right parameters without over-ripeness. The wine shows a natural textural richness that is supported by dark fruit, navel orange, tobacco, laurel leaf and Mediterranean herb. There are flinty mineral notes that add to the complexity. This beautiful wine hits a special mark: it offers the ethereal qualities you expect of this celebrated estate, with a good level of austerity to match.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe 2019 Brunello di Montalcino pulls the taster close to the glass, darkly floral and balsamic at the first tilt. This blossoms with a textbook profile of worn leather, dried rose, dusty earth, spice and dried black cherry. It sweeps across the palate, silky-smooth with hints of ripe red and black fruit underscored by saline mineral tones that add a crunchy yet salty sensation toward the close. It finishes with tremendous length and concentration, lifted by a tinge of sour citrus. Fine-grained tannins resonate under an air of sweet lavender. The 2019 is classic to the core. With this level of depth coming from the anatta, one can only imagine what the riserva will reveal.Vinous Media | 97 VMSurely one of the wines of the vintage, Biondi-Santi 2019 is balletic and dynamic, opening with a waft of balsamic herbs suffused with tobacco, black tea and blood orange. Bright, confident acidity underlines stony mid-palate sapidity and shy glimpses of gorgeous black cherry and blood orange. Vertically built with very fine, cashmere tannins, the balance and energy is nothing short of majestic. An interesting fact as stated by winemaker Federico Radi: in its long history, Biondi-Santi has only made wines over 14% abv four times.Decanter Magazine | 97 DECVery perfumed and fragrant with sweet berries and fresh roses that follow through to a medium body with pretty depth of fruit and balance. Racy and driven, there’s a lot going on in the center-palate. The legend lives. Give this a few years to open, but already impressive. Best after 2027.James Suckling | 97 JSThis red feels open and juicy at first, with a vein of cherry, strawberry and floral flavors, before the firm edge of stiff tannins emerges. The underlying mineral element takes a little time to reveal itself but then defines the extended aftertaste. Best from 2028 through 2048.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

Black cherry, black truffle and bark. Fresh earth and pine cone. It’s medium-bodied with extremely integrated tannins that are so vivid and so pure, like essence of Sangiovese. Strength with balance. Best in three to four years.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2021 Le Pergole Torte is a real stunner. Rich, deep and beautifully layered in the glass, the 2021 is captivating from the very first taste. In bottle, this is quite a bit more reticent than it was as a barrel sample, which, in my view, is a positive. Even so, readers should be prepared to cellar the 2021 for a number of years at a minimum.Vinous Media | 98+ VMBeautifully saturated and rich in terms of complexity (but not in extraction), the Montevertine 2021 Le Pergole Torte remains focused and elegantly streamlined with a very bright-red cherry element that defines this classic vintage. There are tart fruit flavors to close, followed by firm but silky tannins. A hint of the skins also comes through on the bouquet and adds a little more weight and substance. This wine (which is worked in cement vats, oak cask and Allier barrique) finishes with polished slate-like mineral nuances. This is a 29,000-bottle release.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RP