Wines with Age

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This is the final Riserva to benefit from the late Franco Biondi Santi's masterful hand. It boasts enticing scents of rose, underbrush, red berry, new leather and crushed mint. The chiseled palate features succulent Morello cherry, pomegranate, orange zest, star anise and a hint of tobacco, all framed in taut, polished tannins. Firm acidity lends youthful tension and keeps it impeccably balanced. Drink 2024–2062.Wine Enthusiast | 100 WEThe 2012 Riserva is the last vintage produced by Franco Biondi Santi, and so this release is dedicated to him. Of the 39 Riservas the estate has produced since the first one in 1888, Franco oversaw 24 of them. 2012 is considered a warm vintage, more dry than hot and with an advanced harvest on 10 September: quite early for a Sangiovese from higher vineyards in Montalcino. The age of the vines has helped to give the wine outstanding complexity. It shows the typical freshness of Biondi Santi with red currant, pomegranate and orris root aromas, becoming more austere on the palate with rhubarb radice flavour, firm acidity and firm yet ripe tannins. The extraction is great and the tight-knit integration between fruit and structural elements gives it the depth to age for decades. Drinking Window 2020 - 2050.Decanter | 98 DECYou will notice the dedication printed below the label of the wine label. It reads: "Dedicato a Franco Biondi Santi." Indeed, the Biondi-Santi 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is the last vintage made by the towering father figure of Brunello whom most everyone referred to as the "gentleman of Montalcino." Il Dottore, as he was also respectfully addressed, died at age 91 in April 2013, and he was very active in the winery as this magnificent wine took shape. This Riserva is a true work of beauty. It is released one year later than usual. The wine reflects the natural heft and power of the 2012 vintage, and it also shows that distinctive open-knit and accessible personality that characterizes this warm and sunny growing season. Il Dottore's magic touch is revealed in the level of fine detail and precision that transcends vintage, grape and territory. That extreme focus is an achievement of this estate alone located in the celebrated Il Greppo property. This Brunello pours from the bottle with a magnificent garnet color, and it evolves in the glass with dark fruit, candied orange peel, spice, licorice, anise seed, cola and balsam herb. The aromas are magical and ethereal, albeit slightly ripe and soft as expected of this vintage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPA glorious nose to the wine with blackberries, plums, balsamic, mushrooms and bark. Floral. Some tile and terracotta undertones. Full-bodied with fine tannins and vivid, linear acidity running through the middle palate. Light toffee and smoke. Extremely long and lively. Traditional, yet very clean and beautiful. Drinkable now, but better after 2025.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2012 Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva shows tremendous depth with a layered, dark and haunting display of vibrant cherry, then mulled apple, autumnal crushed leaves, balsamic spice, dried flowers, leather strap, licorice and baker’s chocolate. It seems as if every time you come back to the glass, there’s another nuance to be found. Then, like a rollercoaster, it seems to peak with pretty feminine notes; and it then sways into a darker, deeper and more expressive place. It’s pure and poised with soft textures and amazing bright red fruit, guided by zesty acids mixing wild red berries with sour citrus and spiced herbal tea. The 2012 Riserva contrasts vibrancy with austerity, while coming across as youthfully structured yet energized by nervous tension, as if quite adolescent, all elbows and knees, tapering off to hints of cranberry, minerals and grippy tannin. The 2012 Riserva spent an extra year in bottle at the winery, because the estate felt that it wasn’t quite ready for public release in 2019. This vintage is also dedicated to Franco Biondi-Santi, being that it was the last wine that he gave his personal stamp of approval to.Vinous Media | 96 VMSolidly built, featuring a dense matrix of tannins that underlines the cherry, plum, earth, leather and tobacco notes. Vibrant, with lively acidity streamlining the fruit, tobacco and wild herb accents on the finish. Best from 2023 through 2040. 100 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

The Le Chiuse 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Diecianni is a beauty, holding together with impeccable balance and a silky, persistent finish. The tannins remain firm yet refined, with menthol-like notes that add lift and vibrancy, recalling a timeless winemaking style. On a second tasting, the wine shows additional definition and clear signs of bottle age, with polymerized textures and a touch of sweetness that adds weight and slightly softens the overall profile. Drawn from one of the last truly classical vintages before climate change reshaped the region’s style, this Riserva is a timeless and memorable expression released in just 2,600 bottles. The 2016 takes Le Chiuse’s celebrated late-release program to the next level. Congratulations.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPA preview of a wine that will not be released until 2026, the 2016 Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva is a jeweled ruby color and is very expressive on the nose at this stage, with lovely clarity and concentration in its notes of wet stones, framboise, rose petal, and pure orange. It feels trapped in time, with bright, refined tannins and mouthwatering freshness without ever feeling out of it. Reminding me of the moment when an orchestra is tuning and becomes perfectly in tune, so the whole room resonates, though it’s not about being louder, this wine ignites all the senses. It’s a truly superb and singular wine from Le Chiuse. Bravo. Now to wait another two years for its release.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThe Le Chiuse 2016 Brunello Riserva Diecianni is a staggeringly beautiful wine, starting with its compelling nose of violet, perfumed berry, dark spice and forest floor. Smooth, delicious and showing the estate’s hallmark of elegance, the palate delivers seamless layers of plum, Morello cherry, cake spice, licorice and mentholated notes alongside silky tannins. Fresh acidity keeps it bright and impeccably balanced. Another beauty from this fantastic winery. Drink through 2046. Abv: 14.5% Kerin O’Keefe | 99 KOThe 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Diecianni is impossible to ignore, with a wonderfully earthy and old-school blend of crushed cherries, fall leaves, underbrush, sweet pipe tobacco and autumnal spice. It presents a harmonious combination of silken, nearly fleshy textures and vividly ripe red and black fruits underscored by minerals and a hint of citrus. The structure clamps down through the finish, reminding me of this beauty’s youthful state as a tinge of wild blueberry fades. This is a glorious riserva with a very bright future.Vinous Media | 98 VMReleased 10 years after the harvest, Le Chiuse’s Riserva is made from the estate’s oldest vines, approximately 35 years old, which typically yield small berries. Lorenzo Magnelli says these confer greater depth of aromas, tension and mineral profile. This 2016 late release is a striking testament to that. Though less floral, it is reminiscent of its annata counterpart, with the intensity dialled up. Pronounced tobacco and Chinese five spice with smoky Lapsang tea make for an exotic introduction. Mouthcoating and velvety, the umami-driven palate reveals dried cherry, truffle and hints of walnut. Assertive, tight-knit tannins tug persistently. This is just at the very beginning of it wide drinking window.Decanter Magazine | 98 DECComplex wine, full of evolved notes of blackberries and strawberry jam, tobacco, earthy notes and restrained chocolate. Full-bodied, it shines for crisp acidity with firm, velvety tannins that are still grippy yet condensed and long. Meaty, umami finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 95 JS