Wine Advocate (95)

Wild cherries, dried blueberries and dark currants open the bouquet of Le Ragnaie's 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Ragnaie V. V. The cherry signature is forefront, and it emerges with medicinal and balsamic notes towed in close. Fruit comes from the estate's oldest vines (aged 50 years old) planted in the highest part of the appellation (at 600 meters above sea level). The bouquet is seamless, putting forth a chain of similar fruit and spice-related aromas that fall neatly in line. This effect is further reinforced as the wine evolves steadily in the glass. Of the various Brunello Selezioni presented by Le Ragnaie, this wine is the most classic in approach with a slightly more closed and austere personality that will serve it well as it continues its bottle evolution. The wine was bottled in April 2019 and will hit the market in February 2020. Only 3,500 bottles were made.

Jeb Dunnuck (98+)

The Le Ragnaie V.V. (Vigna Vecchia) is sourced from their highest elevation site of their oldest vines, planted in 1968. The aromatics of the 2016 Brunello Di Montalcino Ragnaie V.V. are lifted with pine, bright cherry fruit, rosehip, and orange zest. Of the single vineyards, it has the most tension-packed structure, with angular tannins and linear drive. The palate is fresh with crisp cherry fruit, licorice, and a stony mineral feel. This is a wine that certainly needs time to unfold and express its character. It would benefit from at least five years or more in the cellar before checking in. 2027-2042.

Vinous (95)

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino excites the senses with a wonderfully pure and fruity display of wild strawberries, woodland herbs, wet stone and flowery undergrowth. Both savory and sweet, the textures are like silk, with waves of ripe red fruits and spices which give way to salty minerals, licorice, hints of black tea and a coating of fine tannin. While youthfully structured, there’s a juicy freshness to be found throughout, creating harmonious balance and symmetry that makes the 2016 Lisini so easy to like already. That said, the best is yet to come.

Immerse yourself in a truly Italian experience with the Lisini Brunello di Montalcino 2019. Hailing from one of the most prestigious wineries in Tuscany, Lisini Brunello di Montalcino 2019 is the embodiment of the region's rich viticultural heritage. This illustrious wine is composed of 100% Sangiovese grapes, meticulously hand-harvested to achieve impeccable quality. Special attention to detail is given during the fermentation process which occurs in large Slavonian oak casks, inducing a unique complexity and character.

Lisini's winemakers masterfully sculpt a wine of extraordinary balance - its potency, depth, and tannic structure harmonised with delightful acidity and an alluring aroma profile. Expect captivating notes of cherry, plum, and an earthy undercurrent. On the palate, it reveals a sophisticated blend of ripe fruit with fine-grained tannins and an excellent finish. Lisini Brunello di Montalcino 2019 offers a classic Italian wine experience, skilfully capturing the unapologetic spirit of Tuscany. A perfect choice for those seeking to explore the authentic soul of Italian viticulture.

James Suckling (93)

Beautiful aromas of crushed raspberries and cherries, follow through to a full body, with soft and silky tannins and a long delicious finish. This is so yummy now. Extremely well-done for the vintage.

Exquisite and layered, the Lisini Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Ugolaia 2016 emanates from the sun-drenched vineyards of Tuscany, Italy. Skillfully crafted by the renowned Lisini winery, this dry red wine carries a legacy of exceptional winemaking. The grapes are hand-harvested from indigenous Sangiovese Grosso vines, meticulously nurtured in the estate's prized Ugolaia vineyard. The vinification process includes a prolonged maceration and slow fermentation, followed by maturation in Slavonian oak barrels for 36 months, accentuating the wine's potential for longevity.

Anticipate a wine with a deep, intense ruby hue, revealing complex aromas of dark cherries, blackberries, leather, and spice. The Lisini Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Ugolaia 2016 possesses a robust structure balanced by velvety tannins and a graceful finish. Its elegance and depth reflect Lisini's dedication to producing top-tier Brunello, making it a sublime choice for discerning wine enthusiasts.

Vinous (93)

Dried roses and cherries are lifted by hints of cinnamon and clove as the 2017 Brunello di Montalcino Ugolaia grumbles up from the glass. This is nearly velvety in feel, with a dense wave of tart wild berries complicated by hints of sour citrus and balsamic spice. Plum and licorice nuances linger on, as the 2017 finishes structured, yet not severely so, leaving hints of mocha and red currants. The Ugolaia is another example of the success that Lisini had in this difficult vintage. That said, it will require a number of years to come fully into focus.

Wine Advocate (91)

The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino offers bright intensity and an elegant approach. The bouquet is redolent of cassis, dried blackberry, toasted almond and pipe tobacco. There are sweet notes from the fruit and savory notes developed over the wine's long aging period. Both aspects are nicely contrasted against each other. This wine should continue to evolve and will put on more weight with age.

Wine Advocate (91)

The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino offers bright intensity and an elegant approach. The bouquet is redolent of cassis, dried blackberry, toasted almond and pipe tobacco. There are sweet notes from the fruit and savory notes developed over the wine's long aging period. Both aspects are nicely contrasted against each other. This wine should continue to evolve and will put on more weight with age.

James Suckling (98)

This is intense and complex yet subtle with fantastic aromas of rose petal, plum, clove and fresh mushroom. Hints of stems. Full body, focused and polished with a linear line of tannins and fabulous length. A beauty. Better after 2021 but already a joy to taste.

Vinous (92)

Pertimali's 2015 Brunello di Montalcino is currently understated and youthfully poised, as peppery herbs are joined by young strawberry, with crushed stone minerality and earth tones. On the palate, silky textures usher in a ripe set of red fruits, carried well by juicy acids, and giving way to sweet spice and pretty inner floral notes. The finish is long yet maintains the wine’s fresh and vibrant persona, as hints of fine tannin mingle with wild berries and a pinch of residual acids, making the mouth water. The 2015 may not be a Brunello for the ages, but it sure is very easy to like today. It’s a beautiful wine.

James Suckling (100)

Blackberries, black walnuts and black cherries, as well as loads of chewy tannins. Some smoked wood, wood tannins and even black truffles. It’s full-bodied and powerful with loads going on. It just keeps growing on the palate. So much wet earth and black olive at the finish with porcini mushrooms, too. Needs time to soften. Crazy finish. Try after 2025.

Vinous (93)

The 2017 Brunello di Montalcino makes itself known with a burst of dusty black raspberries, mentholated herbs, crushed ashen stone and dark flowery undergrowth. Silky-smooth and round in feel, it impresses with a cooling wave of mint-infused wild berry fruits mixed with balsamic spices and wood-smoked salts. While the 2017 doesn’t have the weight and density you’d expect from such a young Pertimali, yet it makes up for it with grace and purity, leaving a light coating of tannins and minerals to mingle throughout the finale. In order to uphold their standards of quality, production was down by a whopping 50%.

James Suckling (96)

Intense aromas of black cherries, lavender and spice, such as nutmeg. Some sandalwood and bark, too. Full-bodied with a solid core of fruit and tannins for the vintage. Rather chewy, suggesting that additional bottle age is needed. Try after 2026.

Vinous (95)

The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino is a spice box of a wine, opening with a burst of camphor and dried flowers, giving way to crushed blackberries, sage and cloves. This is surprisingly energetic and racy in style. Vibrant acidity propels depths of dark red fruits and inner floral as salty minerals saturate. The 2019 finishes structured and long yet still lively, leaving violet inner florals and hints of currant to taper off slowly. The combination of power, depth and energy makes this impossible to ignore.

Vinous (93)

This is the first vintage of the 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Mulino from Pertimali, a lower-elevation cru that’s noted for the high level of marine fossils found in its soils. Here I find a classic display of dried roses, black cherry, dusty earth and freshly-tanned leather. It envelopes the palate in fleshy textures offset by a mix of tart wild berries, zesty acids and savory spice, as building tension puckers the cheeks, seeding them with fine-grained tannins. This comes across as structured yet remarkably balanced, and it’s a beautiful expression of the vintage. Lose your bottles in the cellar for two to three years, and then reap the rewards.

James Suckling (96)

Extremely perfumed with rose petal, blueberry, fresh mushroom and plum character. Full body, super silky tannins and a dried, slightly raisiny finish, but this is delicious and luscious. Fruit cake center palate. Immediate impact here. Drink or hold.

Vinous (95)

The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva struts its old-school stylings with a beguiling display of musky cherry and strawberry offset by damp earth tones, hints of cedar and mint. It’s unbelievably soft and silky in texture, ushering in ripe red berry fruits laced in saline-minerals and savory spice, with building inner florals toward the close. Formidable structure awaits on the finish, yet the 2015 Riserva manages to maintain freshness, coming across as both structured for the long haul but also with enough primary appeal to warrant checking in on today. It’s gorgeous. Tasted over the course of two days with consistent results.

Vinous (97+)

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is brooding and powerful, wafting up with a darkly floral mix of sweet mint, smoke and animal musk before a core of black cherry emerges. The textures are like pure, elegant silk, slowly draped across the palate, delivering an array of opulent black and red fruits contrasted by zesty citrus tones and spice. The sheer density here is amazing, but even more impressive is that the 2016 stays in perfect balance from start to finish, tapering off long, structured and classically dry. The Pertimali Riserva is created through a selection in the vineyard, and it spends 48 months refining in oak casks. There will be no Riserva created in 2017 or 2018.

Indulge in the robust allure of Macioche Brunello di Montalcino 2017, a veritable connoisseur's choice hailing from the prestigious Italian wine region of Montalcino. This sumptuous wine, made by esteemed producer 'Macioche', embodies the very essence of traditional Tuscan winemaking. Matured for 36 months in Slavonian oak barrels, it exudes a robust structure and full-bodied character that reflects the terroir's primal intensity.

Distinguished for its expressive bouquet of ripe berries and hints of chocolate and tobacco, Macioche Brunello di Montalcino 2017 is a testament to world-class winemaking. Each vintage is made using the delicate Sangiovese grape, meticulously hand-selected at the Macioche estate's vineyards, highlighting the brand's dedication to quality. The bold wine offers heady undertones of red fruit and spice on the palate, flawlessly balanced by its velvety tannins and an elongated, elegant finish.

A sophisticated addition to any fine wine collection, the Macioche Brunello di Montalcino 2017 is best savoured with robust dishes, transforming moments into exceptional experiences.

Delight in the enchanting Magia Brunello Montalcino Ciliegio 2017, a masterpiece of exquisite Italian wine from the hallowed vineyards of Tuscany. This distinguished wine is the fruit of relentless toil and unfaltering dedication of the craftsmen at Magia, a revered, family-run, boutique winery renowned for producing wines of great character from their awe-inspiring Montalcino estate.

The Magia Brunello Montalcino Ciliegio 2017 is a stunning embodiment of Sangiovese Grosso, matured for 30 months in both Slavonian Oak barrels for a refined finish, it delivers a plush sensation of dark berries, infused with robust earthy undertones tied together with a balanced acidity and impressively long finish.

Magia's relentless devotion to purity and precision, coupled with Montalcino's fruitful terroir, makes the Magia Brunello Montalcino Ciliegio 2017 an impressively structured bottle that serves as an apt representative of its kind. An elegant expression of tradition and homemade artistry, one glass of this extraordinary wine is an experiential journey into the heart of Tuscan wine country.

James Suckling (100)

Amazing aromas of crushed berries, cherries, flowers, black truffles and wet earth, turning to violets and black tea. Extremely aromatic. Full-bodied, deep and profound with fantastically strong tannins that just melt into the wine. Fantastic length and intensity. Truly great. Drinkable, but better in 2024 and onwards.

James Suckling (98)

Ripe, decadent aromas of blackberries, black truffles and black cherries with hints of violets. Dark, wet earth, too. Full-bodied with a solid core of beautiful, pure fruit and creamy, round and fine tannins. Tight and reserved, but showing wonderful potential. Try after 2025.

James Suckling (98)

Black cherries and blueberries with walnut and lavender undertones. Medium body with very fine tannins that run the length of the wine and caress every inch of your palate. Fresh and vivid. A wine for the cellar, but already fantastic to taste. Best after 2027.

Vinous (99)

The 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna delle Grazie pulls you close and holds your attention with a wildly perfumed and hauntingly seductive bouquet, boasting an intense array of wild strawberry, currants, waxy rose and licorice. There are depths of plush texture, dark and rich, yet with stimulating acidity to balance, and saturating mineral-tinged red fruits and spices that cascade across the palate. This leaves you with cheek-puckering tension, chiseled structure and tart red berry concentration that seems like it could go on for days. The 2013 is dense and youthfully poised, yet aching to explode. This is just a baby today, but the potential is off the charts. The Riserva is a special, single-barrel selection made by Alessandro Mori. While this was the first opportunity to taste the 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna delle Grazie, the wine was originally released in 2019.

James Suckling (97)

Wow. What a gorgeous Brunello with complex and beautiful aromas and flavors of cherries, flowers, walnuts and berries. It’s full-bodied, yet so polished and refined with soft, creamy tannins that are long and linear at the end. It goes on for minutes. Drinkable now, but better in 2022.

Wine Enthusiast (95)

Earthy aromas of underbrush, wild herb and rose mingle with woodland berry and toasted nut on this full-bodied red. Combining finesse, structure and concentration, the smooth palate doles out ripe morello cherry, licorice and bitter almond alongside a backbone of firm but refined tannins.

Vinous (92)

The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino wafts up with a savory and smoky mix of rich cherry sauce, wilted violets and grilled herbs. It’s round and almost juicy in character, with a potent wave of ripe red fruits and autumnal spice that leaves a collection of fine tannins in their wake. The 2018 finishes youthfully structured, with nuances of sour citrus and salted licorice that slowly taper off.

Wine Advocate (95)

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.

Wine Enthusiast (96)

All you need is a few swirls of the glass to release the perfumed aromas of wild berry, forest floor, new leather and crushed herb. The palate shows precision and finesse, offering red cherry, cranberry, baking spice and tobacco set against taut refined tannins and bright acidity. It's still youthfully austere but will bloom with more bottle aging.