2015 Cerbaia Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Tuscany 750 ml

Every so often, maybe once in a decade or two, one of the world’s most prominent wine growing appellations turns out a vintage of historic richness, complexity, and grandeur: Left and Right Bank Bordeaux in 1961. The Côte de Nuits in 1999. Napa Valley in 2016.

But with the new releases of the astonishing 2015 Brunello di Montalcino, we may well have come upon a vintage that tops them all. Here’s the story:

We visited Tuscany twice during the growing season. The first time was actually quite a miserable stay in Montalcino. We’d eat a big breakfast at the beginning of every day, followed by a copious Tuscan lunch. But despite the dark coffee, winter vegetables, hearty meats, and plenty of Sangiovese, the steady, cold rain left us chilled from the inside out. Little did we know at the time that those miserable winter days would set the stage for the harvest of our lifetime.

We returned to Tuscany in late June 2015. Just a few days into our trip, all memories of the December rain were washed away. For nearly a week, we awoke to bright sunshine. Mornings were somewhat crisp, but the temperature rose quickly, giving way to glorious summer afternoons. Then, as if on cue, nature did an about-face as the sun dipped behind the hills, and the temperature dropped precipitously. This dramatic diurnal temperature shift slowed down the maturation process overnight, allowing late-maturing Sangiovese to ripen slowly and incrementally.

The script of the growing season was flawless on the famed Tuscan “Grand Cru” hill of Montosoli, where farmers picked at their leisure without fear of over-ripeness or desiccation. Among the most celebrated estates here—Altesino, Sassetti Pertimali, Valdicava, and Canalicchio di Sopra—whose Brunello di Montalcino fetch three-digit price tags, brilliant young talent Elena Pellagrini set in motion a masterpiece at the tiny Cerbaia estate next door.

When you first pour, swirl, and sip the 2015 Cerbaia, the sheer red fruit hedonism of the attack makes you question the wine’s longevity. But after an hour in a carafe and plenty of swirling in oversized crystal, the fireworks begin: deep ruby red to the rim. Spectacular nose of crushed red fruits, pine needles, a hint of licorice. Explosive on the attack, packed with ultra-ripe red fruits, long and persistent on the mid-palate, finishing with great tension, buttressed by refined ripe tannins. Drink now, if you can’t help yourself, but far better, lay down the greatest wine ever to come off this magnificent property for seven to ten years. Great dividends will be doled out to the patient.