2016 Lisini Brunello di Montalcino Tuscany 750 ml

The 2015 vintage of Lisini’s Brunello sold out quickly, then racked up some of the highest member reviews we’ve ever seen for the Brunello category. This 2016—which has commanded even higher scores, including 97 from the Decanter World Wine Awards and 96 from Wine Enthusiast—is arguably an even more coveted acquisition. 

Lisini is among the very few Brunello estates that’s both iconic and an incredible value. Hailed as “one of Montalcino's historic, reference-point estates” by Vinous founder Antonio Galloni, it’s a collector favorite. Yet the relatively modest price and the combination of traditional power and approachability lend it huge mass appeal.

To truly understand the bang you’re getting for your buck today, look to Lisini’s blue-chip neighbors. Gaja's famed Pieve Santa Restituta property sits just over a mile to the northwest. Just another 400 yards away, there’s the legendary Soldera estate—the source of highly-allocated $600 bottles of Brunello.

Lisini’s home in the hills around Sant’Angelo in Colle is 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. After harvest, careful fermentation in glass-lined cement tanks retains the fruit’s purity, and aging in large Slavonian oak casks encourages gentle oxygenation and textural development. 

This wine is destined for a glorious life over the next ten to 20 years—if you can resist drinking it today. Easier said than done.