Gianni Brunelli Brunello di Montalcino 2018 / 750 ml.
Note: The image above may display a previous vintage of this item.
Item#: 99921
The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino does a great job of capturing the essence and the spirit of Sangiovese, a grape that delivers infinitely nuanced and complex results when in the right hands. This wine reveals wild cherry, blue violet, blood orange, rusty nail and sweet earth. There is a hint of scorched earth or baked clay that underlines the warmest months in this growing cycle. The results are balanced and fresh. I’ve mentioned alcohol content throughout this report, and although the 14% registered here is still quite high, is it below the average for its peers. This is a job very well done. Some 15,700 bottles, 200 magnums and 30 three-liter bottles were released. (Monica Larner)
The darkly alluring 2018 Brunello di Montalcino grumbles up from the glass, with a mix of crushed plums and black cherries complemented by rubbed sage nuances. It’s soft-textured and deep, engulfing the palate in ripe wild berry fruit and spice, underscored by a savory herbaceous steak. A web of fine tannins is left to linger, creating a truly classic impression, as mentholated herbs and hints of wild strawberry linger on and on. This youthfully masked beauty will only require minimal cellaring to show its best. (Eric Guido)
Laced with cherry and raspberry fruit, this red also offers eucalyptus, mineral, earth and almond flavors. Vibrant and balanced, with an intense, mouthwatering finish. Best from 2025 through 2042. 1,353 cases made, 283 cases imported. (Bruce Sanderson)
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Primary Grape: Sangiovese | All Grapes: Sangiovese
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Critical Acclaim
RP95+ 95+ pts. / Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate (9th Mar 2023)
VN93 93 pts. / Vinous (Oct 2022)
SP93 93 pts. / Wine Spectator (Jun 30, 2023)
Where It's From
Region / Tuscany
There are few regions as picturesque as Italy's Tuscany. And there are few regions that produce finer wines, either. Tuscany is home to legendary wine regions Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti, among others, where the red wine grape Sangiovese is king. It's also home to "Super Tuscans," a category of Tuscan wines that don't officially fall within the Italian wine classification system.
Country / Italy
Italy is famous for its powerful, sleek, and elegant reds wines from ancient growing areas with legendary names such as Chianti, Barolo, Barbaresco, Montepulciano. Italian white wines are also gaining popularity: Orvieto, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon are excellent examples of Italian white wines.
Wines of Italy are complex and flavorful, much like the culture that is their source and the cuisine that is their match.
More Information
SKU | 99921 |
---|---|
Product Type | Wine |
Alternate Name | Gianni Brunelli Brunello di Montalcino |
Country | Italy |
Region | Tuscany |
Product Location - Location-Appellation | Brunello di Montalcino |
Package Size | 750 ml. |
Proof/Alcohol by Volume | 14% |
Wine/Spirit Brand | Gianni Brunelli |
Bottles per Case | 12 |
Vintage | 2018 |
Can it Be Shipped | Yes |
Premier Pick | No |
Wine Type | Table Wine |
Wine - Color | Red |
Grape(s) | Sangiovese |
Primary Grape | Sangiovese |
Dollar Sale (Y/N) | No |
The 2018 Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia is an absolutely stunning wine. The archetype of Rancia in the past has been of a big, potent Chianti Classico but in 2018, Rancia is a wine of mind-blowing elegance and finesse. Silky, perfumed and indescribably finessed, the 2018 dazzles from start to finish. It’s a magical wine in every way.
The 2018 is an unusual vintage that shows an especially austere character. Off the bat, it must be said that the Fèlsina 2018 Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia would certainly benefit from more cellar time and a long drinking window. The Rancia is elegant and streamlined with a medium-bodied style that breaks from some of the more concentrated vintages we’ve seen in the past. The bouquet reveals a lot of dark or black character with blackcurrant, tar, resin, iron ore and a dusty hint of dry graham cracker (which reminds us of the vintage heat). Structurally, the wine offers a solid and firm footing, but it would benefit from further evolution.
This is really subtle and complex with cherry, herb, floral and sage aromas that follow through to a full body with firm, fine tannins that give form and energy to the wine. Racy and very fine. Drink or hold.
There is a green, leafy edge along with vanilla aromas surrounding the black cherry and resinous oak flavors on the palate in this sinewy red. Finishes on the chewy side, with austere tannins. Needs time. Best from 2024 through 2035. 4,000 cases made. (Bruce Sanderson)
Primary Grape: Sangiovese
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Lots of rich fruit here with baked blueberries, sliced oranges, spiced cherries, some toffee and lemon verbena. Full-bodied with firm, velvety tannins. Creamy and opulently spiced yet well-integrated and feels weightless. Delicious finish. Drink from 2024. (James Suckling)
Dusty black cherries, crushed rocks and dried flowers create a classically inviting bouquet as the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino opens in the glass. It’s soft-textured with racy acidity that propels its ripe red fruits across the palate, as chalky minerals and sweet spices mingle toward the close. This finishes potent and long with a staining of fine tannins while maintaining a lovely freshness. The 2018 may not be built for the long term, but I expect that it will overdeliver for years to come. (Eric Guido)
Proprietor Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini’s signature is featured on the front label of the Caparzo 2018 Brunello di Montalcino. This wine is steady and firm with black fruit, spice, cured tobacco and grilled herb. You get nice concentration and plush tannins in this wine. In a nod to the winemaking team, it also shows a more relatable 13.5% alcohol content. This is good choice from your local restaurant wine list. This is a big production of 160,000 bottles. (Monica Larner)
As this red develops, aromas of black cherry, blackberry and wild thyme pick up tobacco and spice flavors. Tips to the dry side in the end, but food will take care of that. Best from 2024 through 2038. 15,000 cases made, 8,000 cases imported. (Bruce Sanderson)
Primary Grape: Sangiovese
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Primary Grape: Sangiovese
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Chianti Colli Fiorentini
2018 / 750 ml.
Item #: 97273
The Tenuta San Vito 2018 Chianti Colli Fiorentini Darno is made with certified-organic fruit and represents a blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Canaiolo, both vinified in a combination of stainless steel and cement. The fruit is sourced from an eight-hectare site with limestone and alluvial terraces. The Darno offers ripe fruit with strawberry and cherry, but there is also some spiciness that recalls crushed white pepper or cola that you often get with indigenous Italian grapes. The nice thing about this wine is that the grape purity does come through despite the more obvious richness and concentration that the winemakers were going for. Production is 35,000 bottles. The natural fruit freshness and sweetness of this wine would pair with a spicy plate of bucatini all’amatriciana.
Primary Grape: Sangiovese
Made with organic grapes
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The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino opens nicely in the glass, drawing upon more intensity and depth as it does. It shows firm lines and a fleshed-out mouthfeel that encourages plenty of layering and textural richness. That velvety quality is the enduring signature of this estate, one that has achieved consistent results over the years. The only outlier to this pretty portrait is a 15% alcohol content that, although well absorbed by the wine’s texture, does risk becoming a distraction. Exactly 28,666 bottles were made. (Monica Larner)
Broad and dense, delivering plum, cherry, leather, tobacco and earth flavors underlined by assertive tannins, which show solid grip on the lingering finish. Reveals fruit buried within, so give this some time to integrate more fully. Best from 2026 through 2045. 2,388 cases made, 1,200 cases imported. (Bruce Sanderson)
Primary Grape: Sangiovese
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Plum, leather, eucalyptus and earth flavors ply this tense, linear red. It’s on the chewy side, courtesy of dense tannins, yet long and savory. Drink now through 2028. 3,750 cases made, 1,000 cases imported. (Bruce Sanderson)
An easy and accessible single-vineyard expression, the 2018 Chianti Classico Tenuta Sant’Alfonso opens to dried cherry and plum with light spice and tobacco. There is a sweet note on the close that recalls blackberry or cherry confit, and the wine finishes with a soft and round mid-weight style. This is a family-priced Chianti Classico to plunk down on the table next to a big platter of that Italian-American favorite, cheese-filled manicotti. (Monica Larner)
Primary Grape: Sangiovese
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Only $31.49 each when you buy a solid or mixed case
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Primary Grape: Sangiovese
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The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino shows a pretty, mid-weight appearance with shiny dark ruby highlights. The wine offers soft fruit with cherry and wild forest berry at the front. On a second wave, it delivers light spice, earthy mineral and cured tobacco. Both the fruity and the savory sides of the wine are well balanced over solid tannic support and balanced freshness. Production is 29,000 bottles. (Monica Larner)
A succulent, solidly built red, with converging black cherry, blackberry, blueberry, violet and chalky, mineral flavors. This is packed with fruit that resonates through the lingering aftertaste. Very nicely put together. Best from 2025 through 2045. 2,416 cases made, 1,200 cases imported. (Bruce Sanderson)
Meaty, sanguine aromas jump off the nose, backed up by sweeter notes of strawberries, cherries and cranberries and a last hint of fennel. More strawberries, cherries and orange zest on the palate with the sanguinity present now as the metallic tang of pennies and brick dust make for a very fresh, lively expression. (Danielle Callegari)
Primary Grape: Sangiovese
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The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino impresses with a rich mix of crushed cherries and plums complemented by hints of clove and dried roses. This is soft-textured and potent, with a sweet-and-sour interplay of tart wild berries and spice enlivened by bright acidity. It tapers off with dusty tannins, yet only lightly structured, leaving hints of salted licorice and red currants to linger. (Eric Guido)
Primary Grape: Sangiovese
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Intense aromas of black cherries, lavender and spice, such as nutmeg. Some sandalwood and bark, too. Full-bodied with a solid core of fruit and tannins for the vintage. Rather chewy, suggesting that additional bottle age is needed. Try after 2026. (James Suckling)
Depths of dark, balsamic-tinged black cherry, plum sauce and autumnal spice make the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino impossible to ignore. This is velvety to the core, nearly opulent in feel, with a dense wave of ripe red fruits complemented by nuances of sweet lavender and tobacco. It leaves the palate clenched with fine tannins and primary concentration, creating a classic sensation that transcends the vintage. Nearly a minute goes by, and hints of cocoa and sweet herbs continue to resonate. Wow! Production at the Pertimali estate was down by 20% due to the spring frost, and the decision was made to place all of the juice usually intended for the Riserva into the straight Brunello, the result being one of the top wines of the vintage. (Eric Guido)
Rich with compact and velvety layers, the 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino offers fleshy aromas of fig, black licorice, mocha, and roasted sage. It is full-bodied and displays more freshness and transparency on the palate, although it remains fully ripe, with black cherry, plum, turned soil, and macerated violets. It has full and present ripe tannins, a hint of crushed rock, and a saline, savory finish. With its liqueur-like richness throughout, this is a fantastic expression, but it needs a couple of years in the cellar before drinking over the following 10. (Audrey Frick)
Ripe and juicy, this red reveals plum, cherry, earth, tobacco and menthol aromas and flavors. Well-structured, delivering dense, dusty tannins and ample fruit to match, with a long, complex finish. Best from 2025 through 2042. 4,000 cases made, 1,250 cases imported. (Bruce Sanderson)
Primary Grape: Sangiovese
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Here’s a wine I am very excited to taste, given the phenomenal performance of this vintage in the annata version released last year. The Gianni Brunelli Le Chiuse di Sotto 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva reproduces that same brilliant intensity and deep inner brightness, only this Riserva has seen one more year of aging, and it shows more spice and thicker textural heft as a result. This wine is penetrating and layered with a harmonious playlist of red and purple fruits, spice, tar, cola, licorice and grilled herb. The tannins are more austere in the case of this 2,993-bottle release, and you’d do well to age it longer before popping the cork. I love the spontaneous radiance and energy captured by this estate, especially in 2016.
The deep, sensual 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva wafts up with spice-dusted cherries, sweet herbs and hints of flowery undergrowth. It fills the senses with rich yet tart black raspberries and exotic spice, along with a hint of citrus that sends sparks across the palate, creating a pliant yet nicely chiseled effect. The 2016 tapers off like a black hole of structure, turning quite savory but with a coating of fine tannin that seems to devour the coating of primary fruits beneath it. Masses of tobacco and brown spice linger. The sheer density, amazing minerality and balanced acidity make the 2016 Riserva an extremely exciting wine.
Full-bodied and savory, this offers aromas of new leather, camphor, mature dark-skinned fruit and cedar. The firmly structured palate delivers dried Marasca cherry, blood orange, mocha and licorice framed in tightly wound, close-grained tannins. Drink 2028–2036.
Cherries and dried flowers on the nose with some sandalwood. Some chocolate, too. It’s full-bodied, yet tight and compact, with firm and fine tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Racy and savory. Really delicious already, but will repay patience for three or four years.
A beefy, muscular style, this red features black cherry, blackberry and plum fruit shaded by earth, iron and spice flavors. Reveals a tangy edge, partly from the bracing acidity, with wild herb and savory notes on the lingering finish. Best from 2026 through 2045. 271 cases made, 50 cases imported. (Bruce Sanderson)
Primary Grape: Sangiovese
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The Gianni Brunelli Le Chiuse di Sotto 2016 Brunello di Montalcino is a stunning wine with so much vitality, life and energy. It shows a brazen level of clarity and frankness. If you seek the truth in Sangiovese, I think you find it here. This Brunello unfolds to lasting purity, elegance and length. It is luminous and radiant. When tasted next to the 2015 Riserva from this estate (something I did on multiple passes), I continued to recognize the lifted and exciting personality of this wine next to the broader and heavier character of the Riserva. This Brunello shows extreme precision and focus, both to the bouquet and the mouthfeel. Wild berry, blue flower and licorice converge to perfection, and it’s impossible to beat this quality at this price.
The totally classic and refined 2016 Brunello di Montalcino from Gianni Brunelli is a perfect follow-up to the warm-vintage 2015 that was tasted earlier this year. Arching flowery perfumes, the purest expression of cherry and strawberry imaginable, hints of mint, sage and cedar dust — all can be found within its dazzling bouquet. This contrasts youthful density of ripe primary fruit, with salty minerality and vibrant acids to create a cascading and crunchy impression on the palate. The 2016 isn’t ready to show all of its treasures today; instead, it impresses on sheer potential, tapering off with fine tannins, hints of licorice and gorgeous inner florals. This may even warrant a higher score over time.
Very fine tannins show right away and nicely frame the subtle cherry, cedar, mahogany and light chocolate notes. It’s medium-to full-bodied, firm and linear. Try after 2023.
Primary Grape: Sangiovese
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