2015 Lisini Brunello di Montalcino Tuscany 750 ml

Lisini makes iconic Brunello. Called “one of Montalcino's historic, reference-point estates” by Italian wine expert and Vinous founder Antonio Galloni, their powerful, traditionally-made bottles belong on the table of anyone who loves great red wine—especially one from the “fairy-tale” 2015 vintage.

Despite their status as a legend, Lisini’s 96-point Brunello offers exceptional value compared to their neighbors—a testament to both Lisni’s quality and the murderers’ row of estates nearby.

Gaja's famed Pieve Santa Restituta property sits just 1.5 miles northwest, and just another 400 yards farther there’s the legendary Soldera estate—the source of highly-allocated, $600 bottles of Brunello.

Yet, despite the plethora of triple-digit wines from around the corner, we’re able to offer this titan of Sangiovese for a song. With a 96-point score from Decanter and three 94-point reviews from Wine Spectator, Vinous, and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, it remains one of the best values in top-tier Brunello.

We’ve been working to offer Lisini for several years, but couldn’t secure an allocation until now because, as Wine Enthusiast puts it, “cult status and high demand” often keep these bottles out of reach. We’re thrilled to offer Wine Access members a shot at Lisini’s stellar 2015—the perfect vintage to kick off a long partnership. 

Decanter called the wine “beautifully fragrant”—the first thing we noticed as a tsunami of black cherry, dried strawberry, orange peel, and rose aromas that poured out of the glass. The palate is muscular and intense, with grippy tannins that drive a wave of classic Sangiovese flavors, highlighted by dried cherries, herbs like thyme and rosemary, and black tea. Vinous described it as “very easy to love.” We’d take that a step further: It’s profound.

Lisini’s home in the hills around Sant’Angelo in Colle are exceptionally suited to producing powerful Sangiovese, hence the cluster of legendary wineries. With increased access to breezes coming off the Tuscan coast, the area is drier and better ventilated than other parts of Montalcino, helping Lisini’s grapes achieve perfect ripeness. Combine that with a vintage that left "no wine untouched by its magic,” in the words of Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and the result is a wine praised for “muscle and brawn, filling out its full-bodied frame with plenty of dark fruit, spice, tar and smoke.”

In her book on Brunello, author and Wine Enthusiast critic Kerin O’Keefe described Lisini’s Brunello as having achieved cult status because of its “quintessential” qualities—“classic offerings with the denominations tried and true winemaking methods.” That means careful fermentation in glass-lined cement tanks for fruit purity and aging in extra large, Slavonian oak casks for gentle oxygenation and textural development. 

Lisini’s Brunello is destined for a glorious life over the next ten to 20 years—if you can avoid drinking it today. At our six-pack price, we’re planning on drinking a few young and letting the rest age into superb maturity.