2018 Brunello di Montalcino

The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino is gorgeous, floral and finessed, wafting up with a classic Sangiovese profile blending dried rose and black cherries, complicated by dusty earth, worn leather and hints of cedar spice. This shows a beautiful ripeness of fruit, pure and lifted yet potent, with masses of red, wild berries and inner florals that cascade across a core of zesty acidity. This finishes long and staining with regal tannins and a tart cranberry tinge that lingers on and on. Simply magnificent, the 2018 takes the perfumed character of the vintage and marries perfectly to a core of vividly intense fruit. This is entirely atypical of the vintage and the result of extreme selection that reduced production quantities by 20%.

- Eric Guido (02/2024)

So floral on the nose with lavender and lilac coming through clearly. Cherries and peaches with an orange undertone. Medium-bodied with firm and silky tannins that are lightly chewy. Salty undertone to the fruit and hints of cedar and black truffle. Acid-driven. Excellent energy. March 2024 release. Drink after 2025, but already delicious. (09/2023)

The 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino will be released on March 1, 2024. The color is medium red/garnet, and the nose opens to fresh aromas of orange citrus peel, dusty earth, cranberry, spices, and juniper. Medium-bodied and more linear, it lifts through the palate with fine tannins and a refreshing, mouthwatering finish. It has a great saline feel and is a savory and fresh wine. This is a Brunello I’d love to drink over the next 10 years for its accessibility and refined texture, although I imagine it will also have some real potential for cellaring. Drink 2024-2040. (02/2024)

This pretty, elegant red offers a firm structure to support its rose, cherry, strawberry, mineral and menthol flavors. The tannins gain the upper hand for now, yet the fruit component lingers. This finishes long. Best from 2026 through 2042.

- B.S.

The Biondi-Santi 2018 Brunello di Montalcino brings us to a new chapter in the estate's history. This is the first vintage made entirely by the new team (under CEO Giampiero Bertolini and Technical Director Federico Radi) following the 2016 acquisition of Biondi-Santi by the Paris-based EPI holding company. It is no doubt an exciting vintage for them, and it also benefitted from renewed oak casks and other important investments. (To date, about half the old wood has been replaced, and they continue to buy 5% to 10% new casks each year going forward.) The 2018 vintage saw above average rain and cooler conditions that led to slow-ripening. The wine is open-knit in texture and a little leaner in consistency, but it shows fresh acidity and pretty notes of violet, wild cherry and blood orange.

- Monica Larner (11/2024)