2020 Brunello di Montalcino

Darkly floral and earthy upon first tilt, the 2020 Brunello di Montalcino impresses with a bouquet of dried florals, tobacco and spiced black cherries. It sweeps across the palate with soothingly round textures and ripe wild berry fruits underscored by tactile mineral tones that are grippy toward the close. The 2020 finishes structured and long, with a resonance of licorice and violet florals that swirl over a tinge of sour citrus. 

- Vinous Media, 90  

The 2020 Brunello di Montalcino is impossible to ignore, with a burst of crushed plums and black cherries accentuated by sweet herbs, hints of tobacco and wilted violets. It's round and supple with dark red fruits, autumnal spices that swirl throughout and a hint of cocoa that embellishes the close. Despite its depth and concentration, the 2020 maintains energy while coming across as wonderfully refined, leaves fine-grained tannins to resonate beneath an air of lavender and mocha.

- Vinous Media, 93

The Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona 2020 Brunello di Montalcino is a grippy, lifted wine with aromas of black fruit, crushed stone, grilled rosemary and lavender. The wine reveals a meaty and ripe texture with chewy fruit flavors in this hot vintage. The high 15% alcohol content makes for a less elegant drinking experience. This is a generous release of 66,000 bottles and larger formats.

- Wine Advocate, 93

A profound wine with vibrancy and complexity, exuding restrained cherries and raspberries, together with touches of ash and fresh orange peel. Leafiness and meaty minerality add an extra dimension. The attack is lush and ripe, with full body, velvety tannins, refreshing acidity and violet-soaked cherries to finish. Real precision here. Drinkable now, but best after 2025.

- James Suckling, 96

The Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona 2020 Brunello di Montalcino Pianrosso (with 43,000 bottles made along with some larger formats) is a little overdone in my opinion in terms of ripeness and its powerful 15.5% alcoholic content. The bouquet reveals dark fruit aromas, cherry liqueur, brandied plum and sweet crème de cassis. This is a thickly grained Brunello with a soft, richly textured core. I recommend a medium-term drinking window, although that touch of tannic astringency might never fully integrate. 

- Wine Advocate, 93

Freshly split pine, tobacco and stone dust gives way to dried strawberries and mint nuances as the 2020 Brunello di Montalcino Pianrosso slowly blossoms in the glass. Silken and serene, this excels through its acidity, cool-toned and fresh, enlivening the 2020s core of rich wild berry fruits. Hints of blood orange add further gravitas as it finishes with a surprisingly juicy character, leaving edgy tannins and a pleasantly bitter concentration. This wild child will require cellaring to come fully into focus, yet l'm incredibly excited to revisit it in another three to five years.

- Vinous Media, 94

Intense, vibrant aromas of strawberries and raspberries, together with cola and flowery notes. Milk and mint nuances, too. Shows a lot of licorice elegance and blood-orange freshness on both the nose and palate with firm, velvety tannins and well-packed, brilliant acidity and a polished finish. Good aftertaste and amazing potential. Very classic. Drinkable now, but best from 2025. 

- James Suckling, 98

The Casanova di Neri 2020 Brunello di Montalcino (with the white label) represents a departure from the norm. Because the Cerretalto was not produced, fruit from that vineyard with its reddish mineral-rich soils was directed here instead. For that reason, this wine is especially spicy, lifted and intense. Dark cherry fruit is followed by rusty nail, black pepper and milled spice. The wine is fermented in steel tanks, sees 20 days of skin maceration and ages in bottle and tonneaux for over three years. The oak is very well integrated. This is a wine of character. 

- Wine Advocate, 94 

The 2020 Brunello di Montalcino is dreamy, with a confectionary burst of sweet spice and vivid crushed black cherries complemented by rosy florals. It's juicy, opening with a sweet and sour sensation as hints of cranberry and tart citrus give way to a tactile coating of crunchy mineral tones toward the close. This resonates with tension, long and staining with a tinge of bitter blackberry and tangerine that pucker the cheeks as edgy tannins frame the finish. Gorgeous.

- Vinous Media, 94 

The Casanova di Neri 2020 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova stands apart in the context of this portfolio. I get a distinctly creamy note that cedes to almond paste, sweet cherry and chalky stone. The wine is open-knit and generous with velvety tannins and no bitterness on the finish. It has the bulk and the fresh fruit concentration for long cellar aging. It is texturally rich, ending with hints of cedar spice and something that reminds me of freshly broken tree branches. Yields were down by about 15% in this vintage. The wine matures in 500-liter barrels for 30 months.  

- Wine Advocate, 96

The 2020 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova elevates things to a profound place. A cascade of cloves and allspice complement dried violets, blackberries and hints of sage. This is a total pleasure on the palate, cool-toned and soft-textured with ripe wild berry fruits underscored by minerals and spice. It finishes perfumed and dramatically long, leaving a resonance of licorice w blue and purple inner florals that linger over a bed of fine tannins. The 2020 Tenuta Nuova is dreamy with a classic feel that keeps me looking back to the glass for more. Bravo

- Vinous Media, 95