Wine Ratings

wines

One of the finest Valbuenas available, showcasing great depth, structure and detail while remaining polished. It exhibits notes of blackberries, cocoa powder, graphite, and high-quality sandalwood, with hints of lard and violets. The standout feature this year is the quantity and quality of the tannins—huge, yet incredibly refined and polished. There are plenty of fine grits that aren’t fully integrated but should harmonize in two to three years. Exceptionally long finish. Will hold effortlessly for the next 20 years. 176,000 bottles produced.James Suckling | 98 JS

The 2021 Brunello di Montalcino opens with a brooding blend of crushed black cherries, ash, mentholated herbs and autumnal spice. Soft textures are quickly offset by a saturation of tart red and black fruits while firming tannins add further tension toward the close. It’s long and structured with a liquid-stone minerality and a bitter tinge of clove.Vinous Media | 94 VMAged for six months in Slavonian casks, the lovely 2021 Rosso from Tricerchi opens with aromas of dog rose, strawberry jam and oak-driven spice. On the polished, savory palate, lithe tannins and fresh acidity accompany ripe Morello cherry, raspberry compote and licorice. Drink through 2026. Abv: 14% Kerin O’Keefe | 92 KO

Savory herbs mix with brined olives, flowery underbrush and dried blueberries as the sultry 2021 Brunello di Montalcino comes to life in the glass. Silken textures and mineral-inflected red berry fruits envelop the palate as edgy tannins pinch at the cheeks. The wine tapers off long and structured, leaving a lingering tension and saturation of tart blackberry to fade slowly.Vinous Media | 93 VMCinnamon, red berries, orange rind and smoke. Medium-bodied, with chalky, chewy tannins that reveal a sense of delicate fruit toward the finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 92 JS

The 2021 Brunello di Montalcino is deeply complex and spicy, with a wild bouquet that blends orange shavings, sour cherries, rosemary and nuances of split pine. It possesses an impenetrable core of crunchy red berry fruits and mineral tones, with hints of clove adding a bitter bite under an air of violet inner florals. Youthfully dense yet refined, there is simply so much going on here, as tart cranberry blends with a saturation of fine tannins and inner rose tones swirl throughout. Nearly a minute goes by, and the 2021 can still be sensed through a tinge of licorice and lavender. This is a drop-dead gorgeous and radiant effort for Salvioni, with a bright future in store for patient collectors.Vinous Media | 97 VMAlso tasted from barrel, the 2021 Brunello Di Montalcino La Cerbaiola takes on notes of blood orange, dark berries, and dark earth. Offering a noble structure with good acidity and a more angular feel, it has a good deal of tension up front and a long finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 95-97 JD

A new wine that is a cask selection. It’s certainly different from the normal bottling, with aromas of red cherries, cedar, hibiscus and crushed stones. The palate shows round tannins and a juicy and savory finish. A second wine of this estate. From organically grown grapes. Best after 2028.James Suckling | 97 JSCrushed black raspberries combine with shavings of cedar, sweet lavender and crushed violets as the 2021 Brunello di Montalcino Pretto forms its darkly alluring bouquet. Juicy upon entry, it offers fresh acidity and a cascade of ripe red and blue fruits, while inner violet florals add a lovely perfumed character. The wine displays exceptional length and balanced structure, leaving a citrus twang to enliven the finish.Vinous Media | 94 VM

With 2.15ha, a blend from three plots in Chapelot, Montée de Tonnerre and Pied d’Aloup, with vines in the latter now 87 years old. As expected of Montée de Tonnerre, this will need a lot of time to come round. Powerful, primary and concentrated, with restrained mineral, stony notes. Great purity here, salty finish.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECLike the Vaillons, this is also quite firmly reduced though there is some wood influence present as well. The focused and beautifully refined flavors ooze minerality on the almost painfully intense, bone-dry and strikingly long but not especially austere finale. This is very stylish as well as classy. Well worth checking out.Burghound | 93 BHChapelot, Pied d’Aloue, Cote de Bréchain. Mostly tank. Very pretty lemon and lime colour. A clean, incisive bouquet, very pure and with class. Tension at the back, extremely youthful but definitely promising. Drink from 2025-2028. Tasted Jun 2022.Jasper Morris | 91-94 JM

Another perfumed beauty that shows rose, pine cone, red fruit and lilac aromas that follow through to a medium body with firm tannins and a lightly chewy finish. Savory and juicy. Best after 2027.James Suckling | 95 JSDepths of wild strawberry mix with flowery underbrush and crushed violets as the 2021 Brunello di Montalcino evolves in the glass. It is vibrant and racy in style, with crisp wild berry fruits and a cascade of inner floral perfumes. Nuances of sour citrus and inner cedar tones add complexity throughout. Its structure comes in late, crunchy and edgy, leaving a tart blackberry saturation that pinches at the cheek as steely mineral tones echo throughout. This is a high-energy Brunello from Sassetti with the balance for medium-term cellaring.Vinous Media | 94 VM

Aromas of sandalwood, dried flowers, black cherries and lavender follow through to a medium body with firm and silky tannins and a firm and crunchy finish. Needs three or four years to soften and come together, but the quality of the fine tannins is very impressive. Best after 2028.James Suckling | 96 JSCrushed ashen stones and dusty sage combine with rose petals and dried black cherries as the 2021 Brunello di Montalcino Mulino evolves in the glass. It splashes across the palate with mineral-infused wild berry fruits over a wave of soft textures as violet inner florals and cooling lavender tones accumulate toward the close. The 2021 is giving yet refined, leaving a tart blackberry concentration framed by sweet tannins and crisp minerality as hints of licorice fade. This is a more forward vintage for Mulino but with an energy that I find truly seductive.Vinous Media | 95 VM

Aromas of forest floor, ripe woodland berry, cedar and lavender come to the forefront on the beautiful 2021 Brunello from Armilla. Elegantly structured and savory, the vibrant palate offers crushed Morello cherry, wild strawberry, star anise, rosemary and a hint of truffle accompanied by taut, fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Drink 2030–2041. Abv: 14.5% Kerin O’Keefe | 95 KOThe Armilla 2021 Brunello di Montalcino reflects the character of the vintage with good freshness, dark fruit nuances and notes of pressed flowers. It offers solid intensity—measured, but not shy—and moves across the palate with medium fruit weight, concluding with a short, somewhat lean finish. Produced from organically farmed (but not certified) vineyards in the southern part of the appellation, Armilla’s Brunello typically emphasizes purity and approachability over power. This is a lighter, more informal style of Brunello, albeit with a Brunello price tag. Production is 10,000 bottles.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2021 Brunello di Montalcino is darkly floral, with a hint of crushed rocks and dried herbs giving way to subtle strawberry nuances. It is wonderfully fresh and lifted, with a core of brisk acidity and juicy wild berry fruits. Edgy tannins and inner florals resonate as the 2021 tapers off long but lifted.Vinous Media | 92 VMModern style here, with lush plums and black cherries, violets and licorice. Medium-bodied with crisp acidity and firm, chalky yet tight tannins. Bitter finish. Try from 2027.James Suckling | 91 JS

The stunning Le Chiuse 2021 Brunello shows great intensity and structure as well as the elegant restraint the estate is known for. It opens with aromas of ripe plum, wild berry, forest floor, dark spice and blue flower as well as a camphor note. Vibrant, full-bodied and delicious, the palate delivers ripe Marasca cherry, crushed black raspberry, licorice and fine tobacco blend lifted by fresh acidity. Taut, well-integrated tannins provide polished support. Drink 2031–2046. Abv: 14.5% Kerin O’Keefe | 98 KOThe Le Chiuse 2021 Brunello di Montalcino is a lovely wine and one of my favorites from a vintage that is not always easy to read. It delivers its message clearly with dark fruit, blue flower, grilled herb and sweet cedar, showing a sense of fullness and aromatic completeness that is not always present in this year. Soft and silky on the palate, the wine offers gentle, powdery tannins supported by good underlying structure, achieving balance without force. Sourced as a special selection from eight hectares of organically farmed vineyards with cool exposures, this bottling demonstrates how site and restraint can successfully interpret variety and vintage. Production is 19,800 bottles.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPTwo barrel samples of the 2021 Brunello Di Montalcino were tasted – the first from more elegant sandstone soils and the second from the more robustly profiled site with clay soils. The first boasts pretty citrus notes of orange and a refined feel throughout. It’s very pretty and also floral and floats on the palate. The second, from the clay soil, is deeper and has more robust tannins, with a darker feel and hints of tea on the finish. I’m looking forward to the blend when it comes together, and I think this is going to be a very good vintage for the estate.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98 JDThe 2021 Brunello di Montalcino opens in the glass with a youthful blend of dried flowers, underbrush, crushed rocks and dried black cherries. It is surprisingly round and soothing to the senses, with waves of pure silk and red berry fruits elevated by a core of vibrant acidity. Minerality comes through in the finish, crunchy and long, as sweet tannins frame the experience remarkably well. This is a gorgeous interpretation of the vintage, yet patience is required.Vinous Media | 95 VMAromas of red cherries, stones and herbs like lavender. Medium-bodied with crunchy red fruit and firm, nervy tannins complemented by precise acidity. Lots of tension and definition. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JS

A restrained wine with a graceful nose of subtle red cherries, wild strawberries, sweet violets and complex earth and tamarind. Full-bodied with licorice flavors, a dense mid-palate and velvety tannins that are powerful yet ripe. Slightly lifted acidity and a long,chewy finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2027.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2021 Brunello di Montalcino wafts up with heavenly perfumes as geraniums, bergamot and rose petals mix with lavender and exotic spice. It is lifted and sleek with cool-toned acidity and tart red and blue fruits flowing beneath an air of violet inner florals. The finish has saturating tension, mixing fine-grained tannins with graphite mineral tones and citrus, while hints of sour cherry pinch at the cheeks.Vinous Media | 94 VMPackaged with a gold label, the Pieve Santa Restituta 2021 Brunello di Montalcino marks the return of a wine I personally have not seen in years. In truth, this wine has been produced since 2005, the year the Gaja family acquired a vineyard in the Torrenieri area in the northern part of the appellation where clay-rich soils with high water retention create powerful wines with softer acidity. Fruit from that vineyard was blended with grapes from the Rennina and Sugarille vineyards. However, this wine has recently seen the inclusion of fruit from two new plots, Bolsignano and Villa a Tolli, that bring acidity freshness and mineral tension. The wine presents a medium- to full-bodied texture with notes of dried fruit, cassis, tarry smoke and savory leather. It is lean on the mid-palate yet long and polished. Tight-edged tannins suggest the need for additional bottle aging, a profile consistent with a traditionally structured Brunello. This is a release of 90,000 bottles.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

A complex and minerally wine with aromas of crushed stones, graphite, red cherries, licorice, dried flowers and aromatic herbs. Full-bodied, tense and crisp on the palate, with firm, velvety tannins and a juicy, chalky yet ripe finish with fruity and gamy flavors. Best from 2028.James Suckling | 96 JSThe Pieve Santa Restituta 2021 Brunello di Montalcino Rennina delivers power and a full-bodied style shaped by a warm vintage and carefully calibrated oak aging under the Gaja family’s expert hand. It shows notable volume and texture, with an open-knit feel that reveals black fruit and spice on the close. Tightly wound at present, it requires more time to age and fully integrate its elements. This is a production of 14,400 bottles.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2021 Brunello di Montalcino Rennina boasts a dark ruby hue and a bouquet of crushed blackberries, dusty sage, talc, nuances of mint and orange zest. It’s racy with bright acidity and crisp wild berry fruits that slowly saturate the senses, further enhanced by an array of grippy tannins. This Brunello finishes with excellent length and heroic structure, leaving a cascade of inner florals and subtle licorice twang.Vinous Media | 95 VMCurrently resting in concrete, the 2021 Brunello Di Montalcino Renina is a jeweled ruby hue and offers aromatics that are compact and pure with liqueur of red cherries. It’s more consistent on the palate, with ripe tannins, seamless acidity, crystalline freshness, and a very even and long finish, but it’s not lacking for ripeness. I predict this will be a very successful vintage for this wine, which is more similar to 2019 in terms of its more noble structure.Jeb Dunnuck | 95-97 JD

A sleek and graceful wine with aromas of Parma violets, licorice, red fruit and a touch of mint. Full-bodied, it shows elegant tannins with freshness and well-tamed power. Amazing length, with a polished cherry pit aftertaste. Drinkable now, but intended for aging. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 98 JSA layered and complex expression, the Pieve Santa Restituta 2021 Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille combines dark fruit and oak with a deep plummy core accented by delicate hints of exotic spice. A precise mineral line runs through the wine and leads to fine, powdery tannins. The overall profile remains tightly wound at this young stage and will benefit from time to settle into a more integrated and complete expression. Sugarille is known to make wines with a subtle sweet-edged richness and supple yet structured tannins, shaped by soils rich in galestro and white clay that lend both age-worthy structure and mineral complexity. Production totals 9,500 bottles.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RPThe 2021 Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille bursts from the glass with masses of thyme, incense, rosemary and cedar before giving way to dried strawberries. It presents a subtle inner sweetness and elegant texture, coming across as weighty yet refined, with polished red berry fruits swirling throughout and leaving a bitter licorice tinge to linger on the palate. A complex web of fine-grained tannins flexes on the palate as a tart wild berry saturation lingers incredibly long. The 2021 is youthfully dense and tightly wound today, with the balance for a long and glorious evolution.Vinous Media | 96+ VMThe 2021 Brunello Di Montalcino Sugarille was also resting in concrete when I tasted it in November of 2024. (The blend was completed in July.) It displays a darker red color and is deeper and more layered on the nose, with darker cherry fruit liqueur, sappy herbs, and fresh earth. It’s juicy and ripe at this early stage, with very nice balance, ripe tannins, a full, rounded feel, and a deeper mineral richness.Jeb Dunnuck | 95-97 JD

Fragrant blue flower, fine tobacco blend, plum and eucalyptus are some of the beguiling aromas you’ll find on the compelling Franco Pacenti 2021 Brunello. The palate is equally captivating and utterly delicious, delivering spiced plum, succulent Marasca cherry, star anise and cake spice before closing on a spiced orange zest note. Tightly-knit, velvety tannins provide support while fresh acidity lends great energy. Drink 2031–2041. Abv: 14.5% Kerin O’Keefe | 98 KOA restrained and elegantly spicy wine with aromas of Earl Grey tea, potpourri, red cherries, red currants and stony minerality. Graceful on the palate, with ripe, velvety tannins, crisp and juicy integrated acidity, a full body and a long, savory finish. Best from 2028.James Suckling | 96 JSClassic to the core, the 2021 Brunello di Montalcino mixes crushed black cherries and strawberries with dusty roses, violets and a cascade of autumnal spice to form its gorgeous bouquet. It displays textures of pure silk and polished red berry fruits, all perfectly supported by cooling acidity. A web of fine tannins frames the finish as hints of clove and tart woodland berries fade. The 2021 is remarkably pretty and refined and balanced for the cellar.Vinous Media | 95 VMSince taking over the winemaking helm in 2015, Lorenzo Pacenti has aimed to exalt the fresh character of the Canalicchio zone. He has lowered fermentation temperatures, adopted gentler extraction techniques, shortened macerations and reduced time in wood. The 2021 reveals itself slowly with inklings of tobacco, forest floor and mushroom, and savoury nuances repeat on the midweight palate. Though not large, tannins are quite boisterous and need to settle. Mellowed fruit is enlivened by a jolt of orange and a crisp acid bite.Decanter Magazine | 91 DEC

The 2021 Brunello Helicrhysum is stunning wine with energy, structure and finesse. Made with organically grown grapes, it opens with heady aromas of new leather, lavender, dark spice and dark-skinned fruit. Firmly structured and showing great intensity, the palate delivers succulent black cherry, crushed raspberry, licorice and dried mint alongside a backbone of fine-grained tannins. It’s still youthfully austere, with bright acidity. Drink 2023–2046. Abv: 14.5%Kerrin O’Keefe | 98 KOVery perfumed, with sandalwood, dried lavender, strawberries, ripe cherries and cedar on the nose. Medium-bodied with a solid core of fruit that is nicely framed by broad, integrated tannins that fold in beautifully. Fresh and crisp in the finish. Lovely tension. From organically grown grapes. Drinkable now, but better in 2027 and beyond.James Suckling | 97 JSSan Polino encourages spontaneous fermentations with native yeasts across the range. To further augment 2021’s vintage character, Helichrysum also sees a two-month period of lees stirring in barriques. For now, the wine is rather closed. Aromas suggest curry leaf, cardamom, dusty herb and iron. Full yet tight, the palate has yet to cede to graciousness – dense, sandy tannins firmly command. But while not easygoing or upfront, this introspective, textural Brunello simmers with immense personality. Needless to say, it will require further bottle age.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECSporting a saturated deep red hue, the 2021 Brunello Di Montalcino Helichrysum offers a layered, spiced aromatic profile of pine needles, dried cherries, licorice, and plum. The palate is medium to full-bodied, supple, and ripe, with generous fruit richness, silky tannins, and balanced acidity that keeps it composed through the finish. It retains enough freshness to offer longevity over the coming decade. Drink 2026-2036.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JD

The organic La Torre 2021 Brunello di Montalcino opens with a fleeting impression of fruit ripeness that quickly gives way to classic Sangiovese complexity marked by grilled herbs, blue flowers and earthy nuance. There is a tactile, skin-driven quality to the palate in this vintage, almost as if tasting the grapes directly at harvest, bringing added crunch, spice and energy. Despite Brunello’s mandatory five years of aging, the wine maintains a vivid sense of freshness, rolling across the palate in a collected and measured manner. Aged in Slavonian oak casks, the tannins are well integrated and supported by just enough acidity to keep the wine moving with precision. Fruit comes from 4.9 hectares of vineyards situated at 420 meters in elevation, helping to preserve balance and a gracefully accessible 13.5% alcohol content. Production is approximately 15,000 bottles, including larger formats.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPDusty sage and rosemary give way to shaved blood orange and nuances of white smoke as the brooding 2021 Brunello di Montalcino dominates the glass. It is dark and rich on the palate, weightier than anticipated, with depths of ripe red and black fruit over a penetrating core of minerality. The senses are left clenched by youthfully aggressive tannins as the 2021 tapers off dramatically long and structured for the cellar.Vinous Media | 93+ VMRed fruit, lavender, cedar and a hint of sweet spices. Medium-bodied, with chewy tannins and tender fruit lifted by fresh acidity. The balance of delicacy and structure makes this particularly appealing. From organically grown grapes. Better from 2028.James Suckling | 93 JS

Hands down the best wine I’ve had to date from San Giorgio, the 2021 Brunello Ugolforte opens to heady aromas of pine forest, new leather, ripe dark-skinned fruit and dark spice. Full-bodied and enveloping, the delicious palate features baked plum, cherry compote, star anise, cake spice and blood orange alongside velvety, enveloping tannins. Fresh acidity keeps it lifted and balanced. Drink 2031–2039. Abv: %Kerin O’Keefe | 96 KOThe San Giorgio 2021 Brunello di Montalcino Ugolforte (with 60,000 bottles produced), shows an intentionally accessible personality with dark concentration and sweet blackberry fruit designed for near- to medium-term enjoyment. Aged in large Slavonian oak casks with time in cement, the wine delivers texture and open-knit tannins that give it a cheerful and food-friendly profile. Made by the same team behind Poggio di Sotto, one of Montalcino’s benchmarks for cellar-worthy wines, this bottling favors immediacy without sacrificing balance. The fruit comes from 28 hectares of estate vineyards, reinforcing consistency across the range.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe 2021 Brunello di Montalcino Ugolforte tempts the senses with a whiff of freshly split pine, giving way to dusty roses, hints of worn leather and dried black cherries. Like pure silk on the palate, it possesses a seamless character and polished red berry fruits that soothe the senses. Sleek and expertly balanced, the 2021 leaves the senses stained in blackberry concentration, enhanced by a tactile mineral tinge. The Brunello of San Giorgio is improving with each passing vintage.Vinous Media | 94+ VMPouring a youthful red hue, the 2021 Brunello Di Montalcino Ugolforte is expressive and forward, with aromas of raspberry liqueur, pressed flowers, rosemary, and pine. The palate is medium-bodied and ripe, with plush tannins, balanced acidity, and an even, seamless finish. Marked by elegance, it’s full but not heavy, with purity and structure that make it a very impressive Brunello to drink over the coming 12-15 years. Drink 2026-2041.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDA ripe version, this red exhibits blackberry, black currant and plum flavors, plus a touch of licorice. Wrapped in a dense matrix of tannins, leaving a tactile sensation on the lingering finish. Iron and eucalyptus notes also chime in. Best from 2030 through 2050. 7,000 cases made, 200 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSAn excellent Brunello with notes of dried herbs, minerals, grapefruit and raw spices. Medium body with fine-grained tannins and a long, juicy finish. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 93 JS

The compelling Conti Costanti 2021 Brunello captivates with pronounced aromas of fragrant purple flower, eucalyptus, Mediterranean brush and perfumed berry. All about class and extreme finesse, the elegant palate delivers succulent wild raspberry, crushed Marasca cherry, spiced orange zest and star anise set against a backbone of fine-grained tannins. Fresh acidity lends balance and great intensity. Year after year Andrea Costanti turns out what are among the very best wines from Montalcino, and the 2021 is no exception, it’s an absolute stunner with great aging potential. Drink 2031–2046. Abv: 14% Kerin O’Keefe | 99 KOThe 2021 Brunello di Montalcino is darkly inward in its youthful state, brooding and tense with tobacco, minty herbs, cedary spice, plum and nuances of black cherry. Soft textures wash across the energetic palate as mineral-inflected red berry fruits saturate. Structured and incredibly long, the 2021 leaves the cheeks puckering amidst fine-grained tannins and a contrasting accent of sour citrus.Vinous Media | 95 VM

Lavender, dark spice, Mediterranean scrub, perfumed wild berry, pipe tobacco and new leather aromas come to the forefront on the gorgeous Argiano 2021 Brunello. Solidifying their role as one of the denomination’s top producers, this is focused, refined and loaded with intensity, delivering layers of black cherry compote, juniper berry, licorice, cocoa and blood orange accompanied by a backbone of fine-grained, well-integrated tannins. It’s still young but already beautifully balanced, with fresh acidity. Drink 2031–2039. Abv: % Kerin O’Keefe | 97 KOThe 2021 Brunello di Montalcino is dark and intense, with a smoldering bouquet of ashen stones, grilled herbs and dried black cherries. It is surprisingly energetic and lifted in feel, with racy red berry fruits and rosy inner florals that form a truly satisfying experience. The 2021 is pleasantly chewy and long, leaving a coating of fine-grained tannins and a nuance of tart blackberry.Vinous Media | 94+ VMA jeweled red/ruby color, the 2021 Rosso Di Montalcino needs air, opening with a bit of elevated volatile aromas before revealing notes of cherry candies, pressed roses, and licorice. Medium-bodied, it has ripe tannins and a nice primary profile, with an easygoing nature. It’s going to be a versatile wine for casual drinking over the next few years.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JD

Aromas of black cherries, orange peel and crushed stones, Medium-bodied with juicy fruit and a flavorful finish. There’s almost a sandy, terra cotta character in the finish. Lovely balance. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSCamphor, lavender, new leather and forest floor aromas form the nose on the 2021 Brunello from Mastrojanni. The palate shows great intensity, featuring ripe black cherry, raspberry, licorice and fine tobacco blend before an orange zest note lifts the finish. It’s brawny but balanced, with taut, fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Drink 2029–2036. Abv: 14.5% Kerin O’Keefe | 94 KOThe 2021 Brunello di Montalcino smolders up from the glass with a burst of crushed ashen stone and sage, giving way to mulling spice and dried black cherries. It envelops the palate with silken textures and masses of ripe dark red fruits, soothing, polished and balanced in feel. Edgy tannins mingle with a subtle citrus twang as rosy inner florals resonate through the dramatically long, youthfully structured finale. The balance here is beyond reproach. Mastrojanni blended in the juice from the Vigna Schiena d’Asino to bolster this bottling.Vinous Media | 93 VM

A lively Brunello with aromas of plums, ripe cherries, cedar and teak that follow through to a medium body with fine tannins and a crisp finish. Crunchy and linear. Lovely energy at the end. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2021 Brunello di Montalcino mixes violet and lavender tones before settling on stemmed wild strawberries. It is remarkably fresh and fruit-forward, with a core of tantalizing acidity elevating depths of ripe red and blue fruits. This finishes with staining length and edgy tannins, leaving a raspberry concentration and nuances of autumnal spice.Vinous Media | 93 VMThe 2020 Brunello from Altesino has pretty aromas of blue flower, baked plum and wild herb. Lithe and already accessible, the rather straightforward palate offers ripe raspberry, blood orange and licorice accompanied by polished tannins. Drink through 2033. Abv: 14% Kerin O’Keefe | 91 KO

A touch of hazelnut chocolate to the ripe plums and cherries, with hints of minerals and dried grapefruit. Structured and bright, with almost full body and a succulent, vertical finish. A lot going on at the end. From organically grown grapes. Drink from 2027.James Suckling | 94 JSThe Col d’Orcia 2021 Brunello is a fragrant, full-bodied red that opens with heady scents of violet, new leather, forest floor and ripe wild berry. As the estate lost 40% of its grapes due to frost, they made no single vineyard offerings in 2021 so the best grapes, including those from its lauded Poggio al Vento site went into the classic Brunello and it shows, thanks to its structure, finesse and energy that accompany flavors of wild raspberry, red cherry, blood orange and star anise. Taut, polished tannins offer seamless support while fresh acidity keeps it balanced. Drink 2029–2041. Abv: 14.5%Kerin O’Keefe | 94 KOThe 2021 Brunello di Montalcino is youthfully delicate, with nuances of dusty dried cherry, rose petals and licorice. The palate displays round textures and cooling acidity, with ripe red and black fruits beneath an air of inner florals. The long, energetic finish leaves fine-grained tannins and a pleasant chewy concentration.Vinous Media | 93 VM