First release: Brunello di Montalcino 2022

Francesco Ripaccioli and his family are making some of the finest Brunello today, with a purity and polish that makes the wines very tempting even in their youth. The 2022 has fragrant red cherry and darker fruit, with rose, pepper and a little warming spice. The tannins are dense but beautifully fine, wrapped around a generous core of fruit, with lovely freshness running through it. A blend of the Canalicchio vineyard, beside the family’s cellar, and the famed Montosoli cru, this has plenty of substance but never feels heavy. Give it a good decant if opening young. Drink from 2028 to 2042. 14.5%

In southwest Montalcino, Caprili is a fourth-generation family estate growing vines and olive trees, and even rearing pigs. Their 2022 Brunello is beautifully perfumed, with red and black cherry, bay leaf and subtle spice. There is lovely ripe fruit on the palate, but also a cool mineral character that gives the wine real shape. It seems supple and open at first, before the tannins quietly make themselves known. There is more structure here than first appears, and plenty to develop with time. Drink from 2028 to 2038. 14.5%

Cerbaiona is a tiny 4.5-hectare hillside estate, given new energy by Californian Matthew Fioretti, who has been painstakingly renovating the winery and vineyards since taking over in 2016. The 2022 has a wonderfully deep perfume of black cherry and plum, with cedar, spice and a little dried herb developing in the glass. There is plenty of fruit here, but also a lovely clarity and freshness, with firm, very fine tannins giving the wine shape rather than weight. Long and refined on the finish, this was one of the wines that really stood out in my tasting and is well worth giving time in the cellar. Drink from 2030 to 2042. 14.5%

Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona has a rather lovely history. In 1985, Countess Elda Ciacci left the entire estate to Giuseppe Bianchini, who had managed the property for many years. Today his children Paolo and Lucia continue the family business. The 2022 was fermented partly in glass-lined concrete and partly in stainless steel before ageing in large oak casks. Red cherry leads, with spice, dried herbs and a little floral lift. There is plenty of ripe fruit, but fine tannins give this an elegant feel, finishing long, fresh and savoury. Drink from 2028 to 2038. 14.5%

One of the great estates of Montalcino, located just below the town itself, Andrea Costanti’s wines manage to combine real power with finesse. His 2022 is beautifully fragrant, with red cherry and wild strawberry, spice and a savoury, earthy note. There is plenty of succulent fruit, but it is the brisk acidity and finely handled tannins that give the wine its shape and energy. More open than the 2021 at the same stage, but still a serious Brunello that will reward time. Decant well if drinking young. Drink from 2028 to 2042. 14.5%

Gianni Brunelli is a particular favourite of mine, and Laura Vacca’s beautiful seven-hectare estate continues to be farmed with meticulous attention to detail, with every vine treated as the individual it is. Her 2022 is wonderfully fragrant, with red cherry, strawberry and rose, alongside fennel, spice and an earthy, mineral note. There is generosity here, but also precision, with fine, firm tannins and a long savoury finish. One to give a little time. Drink from 2028 to 2042. 14.5%

Le Potazzine is a tiny five-hectare estate run by Gigliola Giannetti and her daughters, Viola and Sofia, with all their vines above 400m and three hectares around the winery at a lofty 510m. That altitude, and the cooler nights that come with it, feel particularly relevant in a warm year like 2022. This is deeply fragrant Brunello, with wild raspberry, red apple and freshly brewed tea, then black cherry, dried rosemary and a savoury olive note developing in the glass. The tannins are firm but very fine, with lovely freshness running through the wine and rather more power than its perfume initially suggests. Traditionally made, with wild fermentation, long maceration and 42 months in large botti, this is a wine I would be patient with. Drink from 2028 to 2038. 14.5%

This small, couple-owned estate makes a particularly fragrant style of Brunello that is often lovely relatively young. The 2022 has a bright strawberry and cherry perfume, with rose, red plum and a little spice emerging in the glass. The tannins are silky and well judged, supporting generous fruit without getting in the way. Aged in large Slavonian oak, this blends fruit from the forest-surrounded Castelnuovo dell’Abate estate in the far south of Montalcino with their newer vineyard in the north. Charming, balanced and a very good introduction to Brunello. Drink from 2028 to 2038. 14.5%

New to our range, Tenute Silvio Nardi is a historic Brunello estate, producing its first vintage in 1954. Their 2022 brings together sangiovese from two estates on opposite sides of Montalcino, giving a lovely balance of generosity and freshness. Ripe red cherry and plum lead, with spice and a savoury balsamic note. The tannins are velvety, but there is proper structure underneath. Aged for two years in large Slavonian oak, this really stood out when I tasted it and is a very welcome addition to the range. Drink from 2028 to 2040. 14.5%

Katia and Luigi’s organically farmed Helichrysum vineyard has a wonderful ability to ripen sangiovese fully while holding onto freshness, something particularly valuable in 2022. Wild raspberry and black cherry meet rosemary, thyme and dried flowers, with liquorice and a salty, savoury character emerging on the palate. This is powerful and concentrated, with mouthcoating tannins and bright acidity giving the fruit real energy. The finish is long, firm and still tightly wound. Give this time, or a very good decant if temptation gets the better of you. Drink from 2029 to 2042. 14.5%

La Casaccia is a 1.5-hectare plot, planted in 1990, within the Canalicchio vineyard. Its clay-rich soils typically give the most generous of Canalicchio di Sopra’s Brunellos. The 2022 is immediately inviting, with ripe raspberry and red cherry, then plum and a savoury, ferrous note. It is broad and full on the palate, with plentiful but rounded tannins and impressive freshness beneath the fruit. More open and expansive than Montosoli at this stage, this can be approached earlier, although there is plenty here to reward patience too. Drink from 2028 to 2042. 14.5%

Montosoli, immediately north of Montalcino, has long been considered one of the great sites for sangiovese, its rocky galestro soils containing much less clay than Canalicchio di Sopra’s La Casaccia vineyard. The 2022 is still coiled and quite brooding, with sour cherry, redcurrant and rose emerging slowly alongside black pepper and a stony, mineral character. There is real tension here, with firm, vertical tannins and bright acidity giving the wine an almost nervy feel despite the warmth of the vintage. Less immediately generous than La Casaccia and asking for more patience, but with terrific persistence and plenty still to come. Drink from 2030 to 2044. 14.5%

Katia Nussbaum and Luigi Fabbro founded this small, rather magical estate some three decades ago, the first in Montalcino to be certified organic. They farm with biodiversity and soil health firmly in mind, and their wines always seem to have a lovely energy to them. The 2022 is fragrant with strawberry and marasca cherry, fresh leather and peppery spice. It starts generously, with silky, supple tannins, then becomes more focused, with a ferrous mineral note and bright acidity carrying the finish. Already beautifully harmonious and approachable with a good decant, this is the one to drink while patiently waiting for Helichrysum. Drink from 2027 to 2038. 14.5%

Val di Suga has three quite different sites across Montalcino, blended here to make a harmonious and great-value introduction to modern Brunello. They pick relatively early, with shorter maceration and time in cask, keeping the focus firmly on fruit and freshness. The 2022 is already wonderfully fragrant, with red cherry, violet and lavender, then dried herbs and a little spice. Supple and silky, the fine tannins sit easily within the generous fruit, making this one of the more approachable Brunellos in the offer. Drink from 2027 to 2038. 14.5%

Drink from 2026 to 2042A three-bottle case containing one bottle of each of the following: Brunello di Montalcino, Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino La Casaccia, Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli, Canalicchio di Sopra

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Drink from 2028 to 2038A six-bottle case containing one bottle of each of the following: Brunello di Montalcino, Val di Suga Brunello di Montalcino, Tenuta Buon Tempo Brunello di Montalcino, Gianni Brunelli Brunello di Montalcino, Conti Costanti Brunello di Montalcino, San Polino Brunello di Montalcino, Tenute Silvio Nardi

Notes PDF