2017 Castello Romitorio Brunello Di Montacino

2017 Castello Romitorio Brunello Di Montacino

with No Comment $60-$70BrunelloBrunelloItalyKevin Vogt

CASTELLO ROMITORIO 

BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO 2017

2017 Castello Romitorio Brunello Di Montacino
Castello Romitorio’s history is extensive, beginning as a temple in Roman times with many transformations before its purchase in 1984 by Italian artist Sandro Chia, who restored the property into a winery and art workshop. Sandro believes art and wine thrive on minute details and that natural progression should never be altered or changed but enhanced.
 
The winery is dedicated to promoting the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG region, recognized over several centuries for its suitability for viticulture, now with sustainable farming practices that respect the environment and surrounding biodiversity. This flagship bottling from the 2017 vintage reflects the proprietor’s intimate understanding of the estate’s terroir that brilliantly transforms after maturing for 24 months in oak and one year in the bottle before release, creating a magnificently impressive wine.
 
CASTELLO ROMITORIO 
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO 2017
Retails at: $70
 
Your Price: $65
 
 
“The Castello Romitorio 2017 Brunello di Montalcino comes from an estate that is quickly becoming a leader in a special niche of the Montalcino market. The wine is modern and soft, showing lots of contained ripeness and creaminess, yet it successfully embraces the fundamentals of the appellation and Sangiovese, thanks to its bright acidity and finely tuned structure. Few wines reach this level of precision, especially in a challenging vintage such as this.”
94 Points
2016 Gaja Brunello Di Montalcino Pive Santa Restituta

2016 Gaja Brunello Di Montalcino Pive Santa Restituta

with No Comment $80-$90BrunelloBrunelloItalyKevin Vogt

GAJA

BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
2016 PIEVE SANTA RESTITUTA

2016 Gaja Brunello Di Montalcino Pive Santa Restituta
Gaja is one of the biggest names in Italian wine, famous for a fusion of modern and traditional winemaking, continually impressing wine critics and collectors from all over the world since their early beginnings 250 years ago. In the 1960s and ’70s, Angelo Gaja was one of the first winemakers in Italy to begin experimenting with new French oak barriques that today contribute to Gaja’s signature house-style.
 
Brunello di Montalcino is famous for the Brunello clone of Sangiovese, known for more body, multiple layers of concentrated flavors, and impressive longevity that by law must be aged for a minimum of two years in barrel and four years total before release. Master of Wine Greg Sherwood has rated Gaja’s 2016 vintage of Brunello di Montalcino as one of the estate’s most outstanding vintages, with beautifully perfumed aromatics and intensely complex flavors that pleasantly linger into a long finish.
 
GAJA
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
2016 PIEVE SANTA RESTITUTA
 
Your Price: $89.99
 
 
“The 2016 Gaja Pieve Santa Restituta Brunello di Montalcino is intensely aromatic, beginning with violets, roses, potpourri, black cherries, leather, balsamic, and saffron. The palate is equally complex with flavors of black plums, cherry cola, cocoa, and earth. The depth of flavors and fine-grained tannins thoroughly coat the mouth leading into a long, decadent finish that can be enjoyed now or cellared to gracefully age for the next 12-15 years.”
95 Points
 
Vintage Report: 2016 Brunello di Montalcino
“Textbook growing season resulted in wines of finesse and elegance, balance and harmony, with mostly red fruit flavors…”
99 Points
2013 Villa Le Prata Brunello Di Montalcino, Italy

2013 Villa Le Prata Brunello Di Montalcino, Italy

with No Comment $40-$50BrunelloBrunelloItalyKevin VogtPiedmont

VILLA LE PRATA

2013 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY 

2013 Villa Le Prata Brunello Di Montalcino, Italy
Villa Le Prata Brunello has a distinct personality, shaped by the vintage, elevation, and Galestro clay soils. An alliance of power and elegance marks this wine embellished by their female team, led by internationally renowned winemaker Doctor Graziana Grassini. Time in the bottle has erected a magnificent bouquet, awakened harmonious energy, and enhanced the fruit’s divine purity. Ready to drink now, it’s, as Vinous writes, a “Lovely Brunello.” 
 
Montalcino’s 2013 vintage produced “balanced Brunellos with vibrant structures,” as noted by the Wine Spectator. Villa Le Prata’s 2013 marries three single-hectare sites, ranging in elevation, exposure, climate, and soils, resulting in a well-rounded, balanced wine.
 
The winemaking team is meticulous in their fruit selection, and they ferment in stainless steel for 20 days, preserving the most natural essence of the fruit. This wine poised and ready to drink after gaining its elegance from 42 months in French oak, followed by 24 months in Slovenian oak, and two more years in the bottle. 
 
VILLA LE PRATA
2013 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY
Retails at: $65
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“The raspberry and cherry aromas are very intense and pretty. Full body, silky and fine tannins. Juicy fruit. I love the finish. Delicious now but better in 2019.”
93 Points
 
“Bright red. Perfumed aromas of red currant, sweet spices and blood orange, taking on an increasing floral personality with aeration. Supple and sweet, but displaying very good lift and noteworthy finesse to the fruit-driven flavors of spicy red currant and raspberry. Offers lovely purity and intense aromatics, not to mention a light touch, on the long, juicy finish. Lovely Brunello.”
92 Points
2015 Poggio Nardone Brunello Di Montalcino Italy

2015 Poggio Nardone Brunello Di Montalcino Italy

with No Comment $30-$40BrunelloBrunelloItalyKevin Vogt

POGGIO NARDONE

2015 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY 

2015 Poggio Nardone Brunello Di Montalcino Italy
There are great wines made through the winemaker’s decisions, and then there are those that result from the vintage, which was a fantastic one in Montalcino for their 2015’s. The year produced wines with remarkable power, dynamic complexity, and a purity of fruit that’s spectacular. Finding a high-quality Brunello from 2015 is easy, but finding one at $40 is nearly impossible. Of the 118 2015 vintage Brunellos rated by the Wine Spectator, only 1 had a release price of $40. Here’s the needle in the haystack. 
 
Poggio Nardone’s 2015 Brunello is a classic blend of 100% Sangiovese Grosso aged four years in barrel. The vines were grown at an altitude of 350-450 meters in soils rich in marl and limestone and produced fruit with precision detail. 
 
The estate is less than 10 hectares, but it’s also the exact location where ideal soils and high altitude vineyards intersect and produce powerful, dense, and long-lived Brunellos that make a lasting impression.
 
POGGIO NARDONE
2015 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY
Retails at: $55
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“A ripe but composed Brunello di Montalcino with tar, leather, dried brambleberries, dried tea leaves and ash. Chewy and foursquare on the full-bodied palate; the rustic tannins give this a silty, grainy quality. Decadent and powerful…”
94 Points
 
“This is a lovely expression of Sangiovese with a full and generous disposition… offers bright cherry, cassis, raspberry and other red berry fruits. Those fruity high notes are followed by savory tones of forest floor, candied orange peel, autumnal leaf and baking spice. The wine offers a smooth and silky mouthfeel with well-integrated tannins and a long, polished finish. This is a clean and compact interpretation of Brunello with the amped up and generous characteristics of this sunny vintage… Drink 2021-2035”
93 Points
2016 Castello Romitorio Brunello Di Montalcino Montalcino, Italy

2016 Castello Romitorio Brunello Di Montalcino Montalcino, Italy

with No Comment $60-$70BrunelloBrunelloItalyKevin Vogt

CASTELLO ROMITORIO 

2016 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY 

2016 Castello Romitorio Brunello Di Montalcino Montalcino, Italy
Vinous describes the 2016 Brunellos as “a well-muscled black stallion in its prime…. dark yet radiant, expressive, nearly explosive at times, yet pure, poised and structured.” The vintage marks the second epic year in a row for Brunello, and top producers like Castello Romitorio excelled. Their team has an intimate knowledge of their land and immense respect for tradition, which acts as the perfect vessel for expressing Brunello’s essence from their remarkable Estate.
 
Castello Romitorio has Italian history embedded in its DNA. The Estate dates back to the Middle Ages and is ideally positioned northwest of Montalcino’s town. The vineyard has soils composed of clay and Albarese, from which fossils and shells emerge, evidence of an ancient coastal seabed.
 
The winery’s flagship Brunello powerfully reflects the Estate’s history and is magnified by the superb vintage. The team that produces it hand sorts each berry before and after destemming. They ferment slowly for 20 days, which contributes to the dark color and power of this wine. After maturing for 24 months in oak and a year in the bottle before release, this wine is ready to make you smile.
 
CASTELLO ROMITORIO 
2016 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY
 
Your Price: $65
 
 
“The Castello Romitorio 2016 Brunello di Montalcino is a classic expression of the vintage, showing lots of ripe fruit, crushed mineral, herbal nuances and varietal-driven purity. This wine nails that sweet spot between elegance and power that is not easily achieved. It offers an expanded array of Sangiovese flavors with wild cherry, forest floor, crushed clove and medicinal herb, but it also shows plump density and a velvety texture…”
95 Points
 
“Dark, brooding and geared for the cellar, the 2016 Castello Romitorio Brunello di Montalcino takes its time opening up in the glass, yet patience is rewarded, as a mix of blackberry and cherry further blossoms, adding crushed stone minerality with hints of sage, lavender and violets. It’s silky and textural upon entry, yet it firms up quickly through a mix of vibrant acids and saturating fine tannin. However, there’s plenty of density to its primary fruits, feeling almost weighty in this youthful state yet perfectly balanced all the same. Savory herbs and spice linger along with tart red berries on the long, structured and dramatic finish…”
95 Points
2015 Livio Sassetti Pertimali Brunello Di Montalcino

2015 Livio Sassetti Pertimali Brunello Di Montalcino

with No Comment $70-$80BrunelloBrunelloItalyKevin Vogt

LIVIO SASSETTI

2015 PERTIMALI 
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO

2015 Livio Sassetti Pertimali Brunello Di Montalcino
If you could only drink only one Brunello di Montalcino, what would it be? Robert Parker wrote, “it would have to be Pertimali.” The only problem is they’re a microscopic Italian producer owning only 7 hectares (about 17 acres), and they’re highly desired. The 2015 vintage earned a near-perfect 98 Point score from James Suckling, and at under $100, this should be in every Italian wine collector’s cellar.
 
The 2015 vintage in Montalcino was textbook, and one that James Suckling alerts, “nobody should miss.” The vintage brought remarkable power, dynamic complexity, and a purity of fruit that’s spectacular, and Livio Sassetti’s 2015 showcases all of it. 
 
Livio and his two sons take a hands-on approach in every way possible, and each wine is hand-tended by them. With a concentrated focus on every detail, their Brunello has become a Sommelier favorite, gracing the Grand Award-winning wine lists of Emeril Lagasse, Thomas Keller, and many others.
 
LIVIO SASSETTI
2015 PERTIMALI 
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Retails at: $90
 
Your Price: $79.99
 
 
“There’s something ethereal in the nose with flowers, cherries, strawberries and shitake mushrooms. Full body. This grows on the palate with super tannin and fruit structure. So much berry flavor and round, caressing tannins that fill your mouth. Tight at the end. This needs four to five years to show its true greatness…”
98 Points
 
“Aromas of woodland berry, pine forest, truffle and dried herb emerge from the glass in this fragrant red. Full in weight but refined, the accessible palate offers dried cherry, black tea, star anise and a dollop of vanilla alongside polished tannins before a minty finish. Reflecting the hot vintage, it’s already approachable but still offers good midterm aging potential. Drink 2021–2027.”
94 Points
2015 Fanti Brunello Di Montalcino Montalcino Italy

2015 Fanti Brunello Di Montalcino Montalcino Italy

with No Comment $40-$50BrunelloBrunelloItalyKevin Vogt

FANTI 

2015 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY

2015 Fanti Brunello Di Montalcino Montalcino Italy
Filippo Fanti’s wines encapsulate old-world traditions passed down by his ancestors, as well as modern innovations. His family has farmed their land in Montalcino for over 200 years, and in 1980 Filippo produced his first vintage of Brunello from his most expressive hillside vines. After that, Filippo’s wines built upon a reputation of quality, consistency, and distinct sense of place with each subsequent vintage. James Suckling calls Filippo’s 2015 his “Best ever,” and with a 96 point score, don’t miss it. 
 
With attention to every detail in the vineyard and the winery, Filippo redesigned the plantings and added an innovation-meets-tradition winemaking technique that propelled the wine to the next level. His style is one of elegance, vibrant fruit, and incredible persistence.  
 
The 2015 Brunello was created from a selection of 10 hectares of Sangiovese grown on different slopes of the Castelnuovo dell’Abate area. The soils here are volcanic and rich in skeleton, or rock fragments, made of galestro and alberese rocks. The conjunction of the low fertility land, topography, and ancient soils produce fruit with remarkable character.
 
FANTI 
2015 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY
Retails at: $50
 
Your Price: $46
 
 
“A sensational effort from Tenuta Fanti…, the 2015 Brunello di Montalcino offers an intriguing and complex aromatic profile, with dark notes reminiscent of black plums, black licorice, and cola that are underlined by turmeric and Indian spices that add another level of complexity. It possesses wonderful energy, through its full bodied frame, which is structured with velvety tannins, that are beautifully integrated as it leads up to the broad, powerful and persistent finish. This is a masterpiece in Montalcino, and should go on to have an absolutely fantastic future ahead.”
96 Points
 
“There’s a beautiful interplay between bright, primary florals, such as rose petals and tulips and dust, hay bale and dried raspberries. The palate suggests a ripe, powerful persona with chewy, juicy tannins and a fine line of pretty acidity. Best ever. Drink from 2022.”
95 Points
 
“The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino reveals an elegant bouquet with bright aromas of wild berry, blue flower and soft spice. These elements are carefully balanced to build the intensity and subtle but enduring power of the wine. There is firm structure at the back, and the wine is defined by its attractive but integrated acidity… Drink 2021-2035”
93+ Points
2015 Solaria Patrizia Cencioni Brunello Di Montalcino Estate

2015 Solaria Patrizia Cencioni Brunello Di Montalcino Estate

with No Comment $40-$50BrunelloBrunelloItalyKevin Vogt

SOLARIA PATRIZIA CENCIONI

BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
2015 ESTATE

2015 Solaria Patrizia Cencioni Brunello Di Montalcino Estate
Winemaker Patrizia Cencioni knows the great wines of Montalcino are born in the vineyard and developed in the cellar. Her vines are strategically located on a high plateau, and in 2015, mother nature delivered a textbook growing season, which James Suckling alerted readers, “nobody should miss.” The vintage brought remarkable power, dynamic complexity, and a purity of fruit that’s spectacular, and Patrizia’s 2015 showcases all of it. 
 
Patrizia Cencioni inherited the estate at age 20 when her father passed away, and she’s made vast improvements to the quality of wines produced there. She is meticulous with her grape selection, and it’s evident in the purity of her fruit. 
 
Solaria’s Vineyards were planted in 1989 at 300 meters above sea level on a natural plateau composed of coarse tuff and clay soils, contributing to the wine’s incredible depth. Patrizia aged this wine for 30 months in cask, and after a couple of years in the bottle, the flavors are beautifully integrated, long and distinctive.
 
SOLARIA PATRIZIA CENCIONI
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
2015 ESTATE
Retails at: $55
 
Your Price: $45
 
“Dark bright red. Red cherry, medicinal herbs, chamomile greet the nose. Then rich round and suave, but with mounting youthfully peppery tannins and spicy, savory and red fruit flavors on the long chewy finish.” 91 Points
 
“…The 2015 vintage is fragrant and approachable, with attractive mint, fennel and black cherry nuances. Seductively textured with generous fruit and ripe, integrated tannins, this offers more vibrancy than Solaria’s ’30 Anni’ Brunello. Drinking Window 2020 – 2028” 91 Points
 
“Intense ruby red with garnet reflections, limpid; Nose: Enveloping with intense fruit, well blended with the oak in which it was aged; Elegant and distinctive, structured and firm with ultra-fine tannins and a juicy, delicious and very persistent finish. A full-bodied, opulent wine that shows complexity and finesse.”
CASTELLO ROMITORIO 2015 BRUNELLO MONTALCINO, ITALY

2015 Castello Romitorio Brunello Montalcino Italy

with No Comment $50-$60BrunelloItalyKevin VogtMontalcino

CASTELLO ROMITORIO

2015 BRUNELLO 
MONTALCINO, ITALY

CASTELLO ROMITORIO 2015 BRUNELLO MONTALCINO, ITALY

There are great wines that are made through decisions by the winemaker, and then there are great wines that are a result of the vintage, which is what Montalcino experienced in 2015. If you’ve read any of the vintage reports from winemakers and critics, the energy is contagious. Stefano Cinelli Colombini said, “the vintage saw textbook timing,” and James Suckling alerted his readers that it’s a vintage “nobody should miss”.  We agree, and here’s one of the best, and with triple 95 point scores.
 
Castello Romitorio has Italian history embedded in its DNA. The Estate dates back to the Middle Ages, and through time, transitioned from a temple to a fortress, a monastery, a castle, a Manor House, and now, lucky for us, a winery. 
 
Located in the northwest of the town of Montalcino, the vineyard has soils composed of clay and Albarese, from which fossils and shells emerge, evidence of an ancient coastal seabed. The 2015 vintage offers remarkable power, dynamic complexity, and a purity of fruit that’s spectacular.  
 
CASTELLO ROMITORIO
2015 BRUNELLO 
MONTALCINO, ITALY
Retails at: $65
 
Your Price: $59.99

Click to Order

 
“… a suave and supple expression that shows a slightly more opulent texture compared to many of its peers… You taste the natural richness and exuberance of the fruit, with variety-specific elements of wild cherry, blue flowers and soft earth…” 
95 Points
 
“… laced with spicy, dark red fruits, wild, sweet and spicy floral tones that give way to savory herbs, hints of animal musk and black earth. On the palate, it’s soft, enveloping, almost creamy in texture and offset by a mix of savory spice, fine tannin and saturating mineral tones as black cherry and sage seem to hover on the senses. The finish is spicy and long, structured, but also with vibrant primary fruits holding on strong, as a twang of savory herbs lingers long…” 95 Points
 
“A dense and rich Brunello with lots of ripe fruit, spices and hints of new wood. Full-bodied, chewy and rich. A muscular wine that needs time to come together. Better after 2022.” 95 Points
 
 
2015 Bibbiano Vigna Del Capannino Gran Selezione Chianti Classico

2015 Bibbiano Vigna Del Capannino Gran Selezione Chianti Classico

with No Comment $30-$40BrunelloBrunelloItalyKevin VogtTuscany

BIBBIANO 2015 Bibbiano Vigna Del Capannino Gran Selezione Chianti Classico

GRAN SELEZIONE
2015 CHIANTI CLASSICO
VIGNA DEL CAPANNINO

 
When our panel tasted Bibbiano’s 2015 Gran Selezione Chianti back in April, we knew immediately that it was a picture-perfect example of stunning Chianti Classico.  We went BIG, and bought all we could… If you read the most recent issue of Wine Spectator Insider, this one might have caught your eye with an incredible 96 Point score and modest price.  After all, it is from Tuscany’s best vintage in nearly 2 decades… The wine was created from 100% Sangiovese Grosso (Brunello) and aged for 30 months before bottling. It has a lovely satiny texture and long resonant finish, and at under forty per bottle this 96 Point Blockbuster has everything that I look for in great Chianti Classico.  If you missed our offer on this one back in April, here’s one more chance, but this time, it may not last the day…
 
Chianti Classico fans had a lot to be thankful for when the Italian Wine Authority approved a new classification above Riserva called Gran Selezione (Great Selection.)  It represents the pinnacle of quality for Chianti Classico.  The new class must be created from 100% Estate grown fruit, or a selection of the Estate’s best parcels…  It also has higher extract restrictions and longer oak aging requirements. If you want to taste a seriously high-quality Chianti at a value price, this is the perfect opportunity.
 
BIBBIANO
GRAN SELEZIONE
2015 CHIANTI CLASSICO
VIGNA DEL CAPANNINO
 
Your Price: $39.99/btl 
 
From Wine Spectator: “Alluring aromas of wild rosemary, thyme and sage complement the black cherry, blackberry, iron and tobacco flavors in this powerful red, which is supple and fluid, yet muscular too, with a long, resonant finish. Best from 2021 through 2040. From Italy.”  96 Points
 
Customers who enjoy Bibbiano Gran Selezione Chianti may also enjoy these two stunning Italian Reds…
2013 Salcheto Vino Nobile di Montelpulciano
 2012 Aria Di Caiarossa IGT
SALCHETO
2013 RISERVA
VINO NOBILE DI MONTELPULCIANO
 
Your Price: $29.99/btl

Click to Order
ARIA DI CAIAROSSA
2012 TOSCANA
ROSSO IGT
TUSCANY, ITALY
 
Your Price: $39.99/btl

Click to Order

From The Wine Spectator: “A savory and fruity style, boasting blueberry, boysenberry, leather, earth and spice flavors. Quickly yields to firm tannins, yet there is sweetness and length on the finish… Best from 2019 through 2025...”  91 Points