2015 Sesta di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Tuscany 750 ml

Every so often, maybe once in a decade or two, one of the world’s most prominent winegrowing 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 continuing to show so well, we may well have come upon a vintage that tops them all. 

We visited Tuscany twice during the growing season. The first time in early December 2014. It 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 all the dark coffee, winter vegetables, hearty meats, and plenty of Sangiovese, the steady rain left us cold 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 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. But 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.

For growers like minuscule Sesta di Sopra, this made for a flawless growing season script, one that allowed Ettore and Erica Spina and their illustrious neighbors to pick each block at their leisure with no fear whatsoever of over ripeness or desiccation. And after two years of aging in Slovenian oak, the resulting wine is perhaps the greatest to ever come off the property—one that will deliver immense pleasure from near-term drinking and dole out great dividends to the patient ones.

50 cases of tiny Sesta di Sopra’s extravagant 2015 Brunello di Montalcino just hit port, all of which have been earmarked for Wine Access collectors at a cellar-direct price.