Brunello Di Montalcino: Tuscany’s most notable wines

Brunello di Montalcino is, without a doubt, one of the most highly regarded wines in the world. Adored by critics, collectors, young and old, casual and serious drinkers alike, this Italian red is like a classic Porsche 911. It never goes out of style.

Brunello Di Montalcino, The Pure Expression Of Sangiovese

Brunello di Montalcino is a wine made with 100% Sangiovese with Italy’s highest DOCG classification. This is the Sangiovese that most wine critics cite to be the best in all of Italy.
Whether or not it is the best is entirely up to you, but it’s one of those wines to know and perhaps try… At least once in your life.

Three Wines To Tame The Appellation

1- Uccelliera’s Brunello with it’s rich, layered and beautifully textured

We went to visit Andrea and his family a couple of years back. As is often the case in Italy, this is a family run affair with Grandma ensuring that everyone is well fed while the rest of the family is making great wines. We were lucky enough to get to sit in on a family lunch, and oh yeah, we were served some awesome wines too.

Andrea Cortonesi started Uccelliera in 1991 producing only 500 bottles!  He crafts his wines on the northern hill, which counter-intuitively produces the fullest bodied wines in all of Brunello. Rich, ripe and powerful, these are pleasure driven wines that will drink well now, and improve for decades. His Brunellos are among the top wines produced from Montalcino.

Andrea Cortonelli once again produces one of the greatest wines to come out of a vintage. This Brunello is crazy good. Just look at what the critics are saying about Uccelliera.

“If you love true and tested Brunello, I highly recommend Uccelliera.” – Monica Larner, Wine Advocate

“Andrea Cortonesi reflects the best of the artisan spirit in Montalcino. The Uccelliera wines are rich, layered and beautifully textured.” – Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

“Without a shadow of a doubt, Andrea Cortonesi of Uccelliera lands high on my list of favorite Brunello di Montalcino producers.” – Robert Parker’s, The Wine Advocate

If you need absolutely epic wines to give as gifts, or as a treat for yourself, these are them. 2014 was one of the coolest and wettest ones in recent memory on mainland Italy, and the Montalcino region in Tuscany was no exception. But thanks to the expertise of the most dedicated producers, there are some lovely Brunellos from this 2014 vintage of single-varietal Sangiovese.

2014s are vibrant, loaded with finesse and ready to be enjoyed now and for the next several years. They’ll offer sheer drinking pleasure.

Earning 94 points by the International Wine Report, Feb 2019

2 – MAGNUM La Magia Brunello (Suckling Top 25) 96 Points

If you’re a fan of Brunello di Montalcino, you are in for a treat..

Enter, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG by La Magia 2012 which scored:

• 96 points by James Suckling, Dec 2016
• Crowned 7th in James Suckling’s Top 25
• Top 3 Brunello by Jancis Robinson.

We love this wine for these reasons:

• 2012 Brunellos are much more precise and finer than the bolder and riper 2011s. The 2012 Brunello has more in common with the legendary 2010 vintage and is most like the 2004s, a harmonious and gorgeous year for Brunellos
• This wine has now come into its drinking wheelhouse and will drink beautifully for the next 7 – 10 years and perhaps longer
• The 2012 Brunello comes in its original wooden case “OWC”.

3 – Donatella Cinelli’s 2014 Brunello

Vintage after vintage, Donatella Cinelli is getting it done with the most spectacular and exclusive vino in the world. We have had a string of top shelf Brunello come through over the last few weeks. We’ve have taken to heart the expression whereby, “you need to make hay while the sun is shining”. In this case, the 2014 vintage is the sun and getting as many bottles as we can is the sun shining upon us. Most of the 2014 Brunelli are wonderful, the wines from Donatella Cinelli definitely are and will only improve over the next decade or 2.

Where to find these Barolo wines?
→ Brunello di Montalcino DOCG by Uccelliera 2014
→ Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Magnum by La Magia 2012
→ Brunello di Montalcino DOCG by Donatella Cinelli Colombini 2014