The Mastrojanni 2019 Brunello di Montalcino has a pretty bouquet with dark fruit and something exotic that recalls camphor ash, wood fire ash, garrigue and dried herb. It is rich and evenly concentrated with fine chalk on the tannins and good phenolic ripeness (with no green bitterness). A great food pairing is grilled game or the French magret de canard. This straight village bottling does a great job, and it’s ultimately more accessible than many of its peers. Production is an ample 77,000 bottles.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPAromas of toasted nut, forest floor, new leather and blueberry tart take shape in the glass. Full-bodied and boasting a weightless concentration, the enveloping palate doles out fleshy black cherry, blood orange, licorice and hazelnut along with a hint of chocolate covered mint. Tightly-woven, close-grained tannins provide support. Drink 2028–2039. Abv: 14.5% Kerin O’Keefe | 95 KODeep red berry fruits, sweet spice, cinnamon and cloves introduce the 2019 Brunello di Montalcino. This is silky to the core, with depths of red fruit and spice, all guided by juicy acidity. Licorice and clove combine with tart raspberry as the 2019 finishes surprisingly fresh and only lightly structured.Vinous Media | 93 VMIn November 2022, Francesco Illy sold his stakes in the family’s coffee empire and bought out his siblings’ shares of Mastrojanni. Along with the latter, he also owns the nearby Podere Le Ripi. While the two estates are separately run, both are now farmed according to organic and biodynamic tenets. Pretty yet delicate in fragrances, the nose expands gradually with jasmine, tobacco and flinty stone. Midweight with a richness of red cherry and long, fine tannins. But this finishes rather briskly. Perhaps another year in bottle will coax out more expression.Decanter | 91 DEC
