2016 Caparzo Brunello di Montalcino 750 ml

Caparzo is our best-selling Brunello of all time, so we and Wine Access members expect a lot from it. But the 2016, from a “best in a generation” vintage, managed to top our lofty expectations with 96 points, the best score this bottle has ever earned from Wine Spectator. 

That rating puts the Caparzo alongside heavy-hitters from Canalicchio di Sopra ($189), Le Ragnaie ($180), and Castiglion del Bosco ($133). But this stunning Brunello comes at a third of the price.

The quality is no surprise given Caparzo’s DNA: The estate is owned by Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini, owner of the iconic Altesino, which sits right next door. Caparzo is one of the few Brunello houses that draws Sangiovese from multiple estate vineyards throughout the region. Working with different elevations, orientations, and soils allows them to weave a tapestry of Montalcino’s diverse terroirs, bringing vast complexity to the wine. 

Although it will age for more than a decade, there is no need to wait to pop a cork on the 2016 Caparzo. It’s assertive and polished from the beginning, wielding fruit purity and savory complexity. Bright aromas of dark cherry, red plum, cranberry, and orange peel suck you in, while a taste reveals classic elements of rose petal, pipe tobacco, wild herbs, and a kiss of iodine. The texture is already silken, with dusty tannins providing a perfect backbone for the ripe core of mouthwatering fruit. 

In 2016, the Wine Advocate’s highest-scoring Brunello vintage ever, those vineyards experienced a picture-perfect season. Before the growing season began, winter rains filled up water tables deep underground in Montalcino, providing reserves for the hot, dry months that followed. Perfectly timed showers in September cooled the grapes when they needed it most, giving them some extra hang-time to develop detailed flavors and imbuing them with vibrant acidity.

Caparzo’s various sandy-clay soils added an extra dimension of richness and concentration to the perfectly ripened Sangiovese. After two years aging in large Slavonian oak barrels followed by another three in bottle, the 2016 is poised to deliver sheer amazement right now, and well into the future.