2014 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli 750 ml

Brunello’s Best-in-Class at America’s Best Price

The 2014 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli is Wine Advocate’s highest-scoring Brunello of the year—bar none, no exceptions, end of story.

That means today’s offer is as simple as they come. If you want to stock your cellar with the very finest Brunello of the newly-released 2014 vintage, then this flagship bottling from blue-chip producer Altesino is the one to claim. And we have it at the best price in the nation, a stunning 40% off the $125 SRP. Just $75 per bottle.

Altesino’s Montosoli was the original cru, or single-site, Brunello, and comes from what Wine Advocate calls “perhaps the most celebrated single vineyard site in Montalcino.” And as the scores suggest, the 2014 edition simply left all other Brunellos looking up. It has a gorgeous aromatic profile bursting with lavender and rose petal, paired with dried leather and cherries. The Advocate called the mouthfeel “smooth, silky and long,” and concluded that the 2014 Montosoli was “hands down” one of the top Brunellos of the year. 

Altesino is one of Brunello’s most revered producers, and their Montosoli bottling is truly something special. It hails from a 13-acre hilltop site whose 360-degree exposure allows the Sangiovese grapes to ripen exquisitely. The vines, which range from 20-40+ years of age, are planted in ancient Galestro soils, which imbue the wine with loads of spice, perfume, and mineral flavor. In other words, if Brunello di Montalcino had an official Grand Cru designation, Montosoli would be the first site to be honored with that label.

This wine shows how great producers can make extraordinary wines in all types of vintages. While other producers are lamenting the challenges Mother Nature presented in 2014, Altesino is soaking up the limelight, and earning the kind of scores and rave reviews that impress even in the finest of vintages.

That’s no real surprise, considering Altesino’s status as one of the marquee producers of Brunello. Though located in a 14th century palazzo, Altesino is a young winegrowing estate by Tuscan standards: It was founded in 1970, and Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini acquired it in 2002. Since then, she and her winemaking team of Simone Giunti and Alessandro Ciacci have staked out a permanent position at the apex of the region, with their modern and innovative take on one of Italy’s most beloved denominaziones. 

This Montosoli bottling just made their standing that much more secure, by setting the bar for Brunello’s 2014 vintage. It’s not often that we can unequivocally say that we have the best price in the nation on the best wine in the region. Take advantage while you can.