Highlights of the new releases from Brunello di Montalcino

db’s Bordeaux correspondent Colin Hay shares his thoughts on, and tasting notes for, some of the many stars amongst Brunello di Montalcino’s new releases.

It is a source of vinous frustration that my calendar never seems to permit an annual pilgrimage to Tuscany for the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino’s Benvenutto Brunello tasting that takes place in the Chiostro di Sant’Agostino in November. For, as anyone who has read my coverage of La Place’s ‘beyond Bordeaux’ offerings will know, I am a great admirer of these wines. And Benvenutto Brunello is their key public date in the calendar, the first presentation of the new vintage before its release in December.

I console myself with the (sadly all too) rare opportunities that I have to visit some of the leading estates during the year and the various samples that I am lucky enough to receive or to taste in Bordeaux, at Vinexpo, or elsewhere.

This year I have decided to be a little more systematic in bringing those assorted tastings together. In what follows, then, I share my tasting notes for the new releases from a far from representative selection of the leading wines of this diverse and fascinating appellation.

The Frescobaldi, Poggio di Sotto and Tenuta Luce wines are, of course, distributed (at least in part) through La Place and form part of its spring collection, those of Giodo and Poggio Antico used to be distributed through la place but are no longer and the icon that is Biondi-Santi has never been distributed through la place.

Brunello di Montalcino – tasting notes for 2025’s new releases 

Wine	Vintage	Rating
Biondi-Santi Rosso di Montalcino	2023	94
Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino	2020	97+
Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva	2019	100
Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino (Frescobaldi)	2021	93
Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Ripe al Convento (Frescobaldi)	2020	94
Giodo Rosso di Montalcino	2024	93
Giodo Brunello di Montalcino Prètto	2021	95
Giodo Brunello di Montalcino	2021	97+
Luce Brunello di Montalcino (Tenuta Luce)	2021	93+
Poggio di Sotto Rosso di Montalcino	2022	94
Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino	2021	97
Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino Riserva	2020	100
Poggio Antico Rosso di Montalcino	2024	93
Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino	2021	95
Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino Riserva	2020	96
Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino Vigna I Poggi	2021	98+

Biondi-Santi

Here the wines were tasted over Zoom with Federico Radi in March 2026, following their release.

Biondi-Santi Rosso di Montalcino 2023 (Rosso di Montalcino; 100% Sangiovese; aged for 12 months in Slavonian oak; 13.5% alcohol; tasted over Zoom with Federico Radi in March following its release). Despite the intensely challenging nature of the vintage, this is fabulous and exhibits both an impressive harmony and a certain confidence and swagger. Dusty, earthy and with a lovely graphite touch to its aromatic complexity that is almost a little Bordellais. A brilliant youthful freshness and brightness. But then the more smoky, balsamic, spicy and herbal notes start to build, with that lovely natural sweetness that is the signature of Tuscan sunshine in a vintage like this. There’s a little dark chocolate and freshly ground espresso coffee bean and those glorious violet and rose petal notes. In the mouth, this is bright, crunchy, fresh and impressively intense with beady tannins that seem to take the fruit in charge and hold it close to the spine. There’s lots of grip and tension and a fascinating battle royal between the fruit, the almost candied notes, the crunchy acidity and the florality. A great introduction to Biondi-Santi, above all in a vintage that was anything but easy. 94.

Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino 2020 (Brunello di Montalcino; 100% Sangiovese; vinified using indigenous yeasts; aged for 24 months in Slavonian oak; 13.5% alcohol; tasted over Zoom with Federico Radi in March following its release). The somewhat cooler vintage conditions of 2020 flatter the new more crystalline style crafted under Federico Radi’s careful guardianship. This is much more closed, at first, than either the 2023 Rosso or the 2019 Riserva, but that just serves to draw one into its magic – one has to come to it at this nascent stage. Smoky, rich, a little more evolved than I perhaps expected it to be. Very composed. Red cherries, a little bramble and raspberry, loganberry and a hint of wild strawberry. A little graphite. Majestic and delicate in its radiant and gentle sweet spicing, with a little hint of black tea leaf alongside the curry leaf note that I have detected here before. Glassy and crystalline in texture with incredible density and a wonderfully vivid sense of pixilation from the ultra-fine grained but omnipresent tannins that seem to penetrate to the core of the wine picking out little details. Fabulous. 97+.

Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2019 (Brunello di Montalcino; 100% Sangiovese; vinified using indigenous yeasts; aged for 28 months in Slavonian oak; 13.5% alcohol; tasted over Zoom with Federico Radi in March following its release). Knowing the near perfection of the growing season there is a great deal of anticipation here. But this was never going to disappoint and it doesn’t. Indeed, it’s utterly glass-ceiling shattering in terms of any expectations one could have for it and, I am pretty sure, the best vintage of Biondi-Santi Riserva that I have tasted (even after an exceptional vertical tasting at the property last year). A new reference, then, for the property and all the more impressive as such, coming as it does in Federico Radi’s second vintage at Biondi-Santi. After Biondi-Santi 2020 it’s difficult to imagine, but we step up quite a notch here in quality and enter into the realm of the truly sublime. This is staggeringly vivid and intense in its florality. Indeed, there’s a striking paradox here – on the one hand that florality feels so natural and pure and precise and fresh and ye, on the other, it has a degree of concentration and impact that is other-worldly and could only come through concentration. Is this a parfumier’s essence of florality or just the natural florality of the perfect blossom? Incredibly beautiful but with all the density, concentration and compactness that those less impressed by the purely ethereal crave too. Put differently, this is a study in perfection. 100.

Frescobaldi

Here the wines were tasted in Bordeaux prior to their release on la place and from samples sent to me in Paris.

Brunello di Montalcino Castelgiocondo 2021 (Brunello di Montalcino; 100% Sangiovese; 14.5% alcohol; tasted in Bordeaux prior to its release on la place). From Frescobaldi. Less oaky than in recent vintages. Crushed and dried rose petals, a little tomato consommé and ketchup, a little white pepper too and a distinct hint of curry leaf. Maybe a hint of sloe. Red cherry and preserved Japanese plums (with that distinct saline note), a certain bloodiness with the hint of iron that suggests. Substantial; fleshy. The tannins are soft on the entry, yet they bristle pleasingly in the mid-palate where the wine becomes more juicy and fresh, nicely sustained to a long finish. A little one-dimensional, perhaps, but very well-made and likely to be excellent value as ever. 93.

Brunello di Montalcino Castelgiocondo Ripe Al Convento 2020 (Brunello di Montalcino Riserva; 100% Sangiovese; 15.5% alcohol; tasted in Bordeaux prior to its release on la place). Eucalyptus. White pepper. Confit petals. Candlewax. Saffron. Pot pourri. Ripe plum fruits and a little baked plum too. Modern but, again, much less enrobed in oak than once it was. Quite heady both aromatically and actually in terms of alcohol – which is my one hesitation here. Quite sweet-scented and spicy too. Engaging, dynamic but a little heavy on the finish where one does sense the alcohol a touch and the tannins hint as a certain dryness, though less so when re-tasted. 94.

Giodo

Here the wines were tasted first from samples sent to me in Paris and then at Vinexpo with Bianca Ferrini.

Giodo Rosso di Montalcino 2024 (Rosso di Montalcino; 100% Sangiovese; pH 3.32; around 12000 bottles produced in this, the first, vintage; sourced from 1.5 hectares at 400 metres, with a south-eastern exposition on a medium-heavy, skeleton-rich soil; the planting density is 6,600 plants per hectare; 14% alcohol; tasted twice, the second time at Vinexpo with Bianca Ferrini). This is smoky yet floral at the same time and extremely attractive aromatically, with a softness of touch and a delicacy, but also an intensity, that screams ‘Giodo’! There’s lots of energy, lots of vertical lift and that wondrous crystallinity to the mid-palate that is a signature of the property (and a mark of the quality of the wine-making). Fluid and dynamic, racy and fresh, and almost shimmering on the finish. 93.

Giodo Brunello di Montalcino Prètto 2021 (Brunello di Montalcino; 100% Sangiovese; pH 3.45; sourced from 4 hectares in Sant’Angelo in Colle, south-west Montalcino, at 360 metres planted on a medium-heavy, skeleton-rich soil, with a south-eastern exposition; 14% alcohol; tasted twice, the second time at Vinexpo with Bianca Ferrini). The product, in effect, of an even stricter selection for the Giodo Brunello. ‘Prètto’ is a Tuscan dialect word for word for true, sincere or authentic – and that is exactly what we find in the glass. This is fuller, more viscous and altogether bloodier than the Rosso with a touch of ferrous minerality. But, as with all of the Giodo range (on Etna and in Montalcino) this is radiant, gracious, succulent yet delicate. We have the vivid sensation of spring flowers and a little note of fennel bulb alongside the red berry and stone fruits. Vivid and fresh but with much more depth and gravitas than the Rosso, yet absolutely no loss of clarity or precision. There’ a pleasing salinity to the minerality and, combined with the sapidity, that gives the impression that the saltiness arrives like little beads of sweet that descend into the glossy interior of this more glassily-textured of wines. A fabulous new addition that it already highly accessible. 95.

Giodo Brunello di Montalcino 2021 (Brunello di Montalcino; 100% Sangiovese, a hyper-strict barrel selection from the 4 hectares under vine in in Sant’Angelo in Colle at 360 metres planted on a medium-heavy, skeleton-rich soil, with a south-eastern exposition, producing just 7000 bottles; pH 3.34; 14% alcohol; tasted twice, the second time at Vinexpo with Bianca Ferrini). This is simply divine. Lavender, rosemary, wild mild, thyme. Rose water, rose petals, a hint of violet, pomegranate and red cherry with a freshly plucked assorted red berries and a little goji berry too. This is more ample than Prètto with the tannins delicately detailing the external parameters of the wine’s spherical form as it flows over the palate – a form well-captured by the label itself. Very long on the finish and beautifully sustained by that Giodo ripple of freshness. 97+.

Poggio Antico

Here the wines were tasted at the property with Pier Giuseppe d’Alessandro in October 2025 prior to their release.

Poggio Antico Rosso di Montalcino 2024 (Rosso di Montalcino; 100% Sangiovese sourced largely from the estate’s lower altitude plots; certified organic; 14% alcohol; tasted at the property in October prior to its release). Fresh bright crunchy berry fruits – predominantly raspberry and cranberry – with a slightly dusty minerality that grounds and anchors this and gives it a little depth. I’m struck once again by the sheer quality of the tannins. This is, consequently, soft and caressing, with that signature freshness of Poggio Antico. You really want to drink this now. Vibrant and essential. Simple perhaps but so pure and focussed and so technically accomplished. This is just what Rosso could be and perhaps should be, but so rarely is. A wine of great crystallinity pixilated by rolled spherical tannins. Excellent and brilliant value too. 93.

Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino 2021 (Brunello di Montalcino; 100% Sangiovese sourced from a vineyard of 13 hectares at an altitude of 500 metres and above; pH 3.38; certified organic; 14% alcohol; tasted at the property in October prior to its release). The altitude here offers great natural protection in a vintage like this. A wine of energy, lift, freshness and poise in the glass, this is truly excellent in the context of not the easiest of vintages. I love the parfumier’s essences of bergamot and the intense floral notes too – with a hint of hibiscus and a sprinkling of pot pourri. There are fresher notes too, of peony and rose petal. But we also have a Brunello meatiness – wild boar ragu perhaps with a hint of juniper. There’s a distinct clay-y earthiness too to the minerality and, as ever here, such grace in the tannins. This is succulent and suave, intense and compact but without any raw edge to the power. The gentle natural sweetness comes from the sheer heat of the vintage and that brings out a suggestion of soft leather. But this is all about freshness. 95.

Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2020 (Brunello di Montalcino; 100% Sangiovese sourced largely from the small vineyard plot at the top of the estate facing the tasting room; certified organic; 15% alcohol; tasted at the property in October prior to its release). This is not quite at the level of I Poggi but deeply impressive in any comparative context. Rich. Deep. Dark. A little more plummy than the 2021 Brunello tasted alongside. But the dominant note is black cherry, flesh and stone. This is spicier than the other wines in the current release with more cinnamon alongside the cracked pepper corns. There’s a slight balsamic note too, but it is very subtle. This is more compact at the core too, really juicy and fresh and crystalline at the core. It’s also lighter and more aerial in a way than the 2021s because of the vintage and it takes us to another level. 96.

Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino I Poggi 2021 (Brunello di Montalcino; 100% Sangiovese sourced entirely from the three-plot, 2.5 hectare, I Poggi vineyard at the very top of the property at an altitude of 550–570 metres with a western exposition; certified organic; 15% alcohol; tasted at the property in October prior to its release). A rather larger production than the 2020 (with all three of the I Poggi plots incorporated and around 10,000 bottles produced). Not for the first time I am utterly wowed by this singular and exceptional wine! Such power but such charm and such grace at the same time. Staggeringly vivid, vibrant and brilliant in its intensity. This is also amazingly complex even at this nascent stage. Juniper, eucalyptus, mint, hibiscus, rosehip and a cornucopia of parfumier’s essences of flowers. Soy and sesame. This is ample on the attack and amazingly dynamic on the palate. It really fills the cheeks, craving the space to express its natural complexity. I love the little touch of black tea leaf that intersperses itself amongst the red and darker berries and those red cherry stone notes. There are swirls of fresh uplift, like a fountain of fresh juiciness constantly recharged. And I discover again in the midst of the palate those rose petal notes from the aromatics. There’s a little suggestion of red liquorice on the finish. Luminous, radiant and utterly brilliant with a succulent, juicy freshness returning on the finish. 98+.

Poggio di Sotto

 Here the wines were tasted at the property with Leonardo Berti and Anna Paola Barberi in October 2025 prior to their general release and then again in January 2026 in Bordeaux prior to their Asian release through la place.

 Poggio di Sotto Rosso di Montalcino 2022 (Rosso di Montalcino; 100% Sangiovese; 14% alcohol; tasted at the property and in Bordeaux prior to its release on la place). Fabulous. Dark berry fruits. Supple leather from your favourite armchair. Plump, very pure and quite delicate in a way, but with a certain confidence and authority. It knows its class and its provenance, even from this, the most difficult vintage in recent years, dry and hot with significant losses in the vineyard and the harvest almost a month earlier than usual. Cranberry. A little black tea. A hint of pink rose. Rosehip. A little cinnamon. Lavender notes too, but subtly. This is lithe, limpid, gracious and quite succulent and juicy. A wonderful wine in the context of the vintage with great length. A reference point for the vintage. 94.

Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino 2021 (Brunello di Montalcino; 100% Sangiovese; 14% alcohol; tasted at the property and in Bordeaux prior to its release on la place). 15% of the potential yield was lost to April frost and August hail. Initially a little closed aromatically, this is darker at the core and a little darker fruited too, with mulberry and black raspberry, hints of cherry and rose hip. There’s rose water too. And a hint of Earl Grey tea. It becomes more balsamic with aeration. Ample in frame, spherical in shape – more so than the 2020 (tasted alongside) – with a great sense of integration and harmony. Succulent again, the tannins gathering a little at the bottom of the palate and entering in between the layers but only in the depths of the lower palate. This has great vertical range and very considerable aging potential. It’s a little less solar and sunny than the 2020. Stays ample in frame all the way to the finish. A touch of wild herb on the finish with the engagement of the tannins. Incredibly long. It’s more like the 2020 than the 2019 in a way. There’s a deeply impressive almost imposing seriousness to this. 97.

Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2020 (Brunello di Montalcino Riserva; 100% Sangiovese; 13.5% alcohol; around 4000 bottles produced; tasted at the property and in Bordeaux prior to its release on la place). Harvested from the lower parts on the vineyard in last week of September and then on 6^th October, two weeks later, for the structure and substance – blended to produce the single cask. Staggeringly pure and aromatically expressive, with intense eucalyptus notes and wild garrigue herbs, a little hint of cardamom and rose petals in abundance. There’s lovely delicate spicing and a little red Szechuan peppercorn. I love the little bulby iris note that I only discover when retasting this 2 months on. Wow! There’s a touch of clove now too that I didn’t discern when I tasted this at the property. And a little lavender and wild rosemary in the mouth. This is vibrant, vivid and bright aromatically and limpid, viscous and crystalline in the mouth. The tannins are divinely textured and tactile. But it’s the parfumier’s essences of delicate rose petals and fresh single rose petals that really capture my attention, with a little hint of saffron. I genuinely have tears in my eyes. I love the mouthfeel, it almost tickles and entices the top and the bottom of the mouth. Divine is the word. An incredible wine to which one reacts emotionally. 100.

Tenuta Luce

Luce Brunello di Montalcino 2021 (Brunello di Montalcino; 100% Sangiovese; 14% alcohol; tasted in Bordeaux prior to its release on la place). Lots of oak. Fireworks and cordite. Candles. Sweet spices, notably vanilla pod in its pure form. Dark berry and stone fruit. Again, there’s great fruit intensity but you might not pick this as Brunello Sangiovese in a blind tasting as some of its natural salinity and fruit levity is masked. Bold, rich, deep and succulent with pleasing freshness even in the very core of the palate. Spherical. Almost Bordeaux-style in its wine-making and impressive on the juicy palate. But the oak-inflected aromatics have still to be tamed. 93+.

 

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