4 Bottles from the Heart of Tuscany

Brunello di Montalcino is Italy's most celebrated red wine — a single-grape appellation built entirely on Sangiovese, aged a minimum of five years before release, and capable of evolving in the cellar for decades. But within those rules, the range of expression is extraordinary. The four bottles in this collection were chosen by a Master Sommelier to capture that range: a forward, food-friendly 2018; a high-altitude, organically farmed 2021 from one of Montalcino's most exciting rising estates; a benchmark expression from a founding family of the appellation; and a modern, fruit-forward interpretation of the warm 2020 vintage. Tasted in this order, they map the full spectrum of what Brunello can be.

2018 Campinovi, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy

"The Approachable Classic"

We open with the 2018 vintage, a year that produced Brunellos of unusual charm and early accessibility — warm but not overripe, with a generosity that makes them ideal for drinking now rather than cellaring. Campinovi's expression is a textbook introduction to the appellation: bright red cherry, dried herbs, a whisper of leather and tobacco, and a palate that is medium-bodied and silky, with the characteristic Sangiovese acidity keeping everything lively and food-ready. This is Brunello at its most welcoming.

Pair with: Pasta with Bolognese, roasted chicken with rosemary, or mushroom risotto.

2021 Le Ragnaie, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany, Italy

"The High-Altitude Purist"

Le Ragnaie is one of Montalcino's most compelling estates, and Riccardo Campinoti is widely regarded as one of the appellation's finest winemakers. The estate sits at the highest elevations of the Montalcino zone — near the dramatic "Passo del Lume Spento," the Pass of the Extinguished Lantern — where galestro and clay soils and cool mountain winds produce Sangiovese of remarkable purity and tension. Farmed without chemicals and vinified in concrete with indigenous yeasts, the wine is aged 36 months in large, neutral Slavonian oak botti — the traditional method that lets the grape, not the wood, do the talking. The 2021 vintage is a beautifully expressive year: wild strawberry, rose petal, dried herbs, and a savory mineral undercurrent, with polished, powdery tannins and a long, lifted finish. Vinous awarded it 94 points and noted its "vibrant fruit and crunchiness" — this is Brunello with energy and precision.

Pair with: Roasted lamb, bistecca alla Fiorentina, wild boar ragù, or aged Parmigiano-Reggiano.

2020 Livio Sassetti Pertimali, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy

"The Traditional Benchmark"

The Sassetti family are among the founding fathers of the modern Brunello appellation, and Pertimali is their flagship estate, situated on the celebrated Montosoli hill in the northern sector of Montalcino. The 2020 vintage was warm and generous, and at Pertimali, all the finest fruit was channeled into this bottling — effectively a declassified Riserva. The result is a wine of exceptional aromatic complexity: balsamic-tinged black cherry, wild herbs, undergrowth, and a deep mineral core, with a silken texture and the kind of structural precision that speaks to decades of accumulated knowledge. This is Brunello as a generational inheritance.

Pair with: Beef, venison, wild boar, or a selection of aged Tuscan cheeses.

2020 Bramante Cosimi, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy

"The Modern Expression"

We close with a second expression of the 2020 vintage, this time from Bramante Cosimi, whose approach leans toward a more contemporary, fruit-forward style of Brunello. Where the Pertimali is all structure and mineral depth, the Cosimi is ripe and expressive: dark cherry, blackberry, a touch of vanilla and sweet spice from careful oak integration. Full-bodied and plush, with a long, smooth finish, it is a bold and generous wine that captures the warmth and sunshine of the vintage. Placed at the end of the tasting, it provides a rich and satisfying conclusion — a reminder that Brunello, in the right hands, can be both profound and immediately pleasurable.

Pair with: Roasted lamb, wild boar, truffle pasta, or a slow-braised short rib.