2015 Cerbaia Vigna Cerbaia Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Tuscany 750 ml

If you love Brunello di Montalcino, you may have already swooned over the sumptuous 2015s. Wine Advocate wrote, "Fruit has never been more beautiful than it was in the picture-perfect 2015 vintage…leaving no wine untouched by its magic." It’s a benchmark year.

Montalcino’s epicenter of success in 2015 was the famed “Grand Cru” hill of Montosoli, where farmers were able to pick at their leisure, and at the tiny Cerbaia estate, the brilliant young talent Elena Pellagrini crafted a masterpiece. A stunningly profound riserva from organically farmed 40-year old vines, its aromas alone left our tasting panel speechless. 

The 2015 vintage stands as one of the finest Montalcino has ever seen. James Suckling, who lived in Tuscany, raved about the season: “The 2015 Brunello vintage is one for the record books, with the kind of structure, mouth-watering fruits and tannin characteristics that suggest these could be some of the most cellarable wines from Italy, or any region, for many years to come.” You’ll be kicking yourself in ten years for not loading up on 2015s. It’s like 1982 in Bordeaux, 2005 in Burgundy, or 2013 in Napa.

A 2015 riserva from Montosoli is particularly special because wines from its prized vineyards combine the elegance of Montalcino’s northern quadrant with the power more often found in its sunnier south.

When pairing, wines like this demand very simple fare like bistecca alla Fiorentina or pasta with zucchini and Pecorino. Pellagrini’s masterpiece, in just her third vintage as winemaker, beautifully unfurls in the glass, awash with an array of black-fruit complexity and sturdy tannins. It’s a wine that’s captivating from the first whiff to the last drops from the bottle.