2016 Podere Giodo Brunello di Montalcino 750 ml

In 2002, after two decades of crafting wines for famous Tuscan wineries like Fonterutoli, Romitorio, Talenti, and Brancaia, 100-point legend Carlo Ferrini snuck away.

His destination: 25 acres outside the village of Sant’Angelo in Colle. It was all forest and wheat—not a grape to be found—but the master winemaker saw great potential in the property’s mineral-rich slopes and southeastern exposure, in its ideal aspect and shade from the harsh late-afternoon sun. The place was absolutely perfect. 

Ferrini bought it and started planting: 15 clones of Sangiovese he’d chosen over his career for their high quality and low yields. He farmed the land to his meticulous standards, insisting on “green harvesting” 40% of the fruit—in other words, dropping it to the ground—to direct the vines’ scarce resources to only the finest bunches of Sangiovese.

His 2010 Podere Giodo Brunello, from only his second vintage, earned a perfect 100-point score. Tuscany had its new cult winery.

The 2016 Podere Giodo Brunello di Montalcino, grown in one of the greatest vintages of all time, just adds to Ferrini’s legacy of perfection. A wine raised in his own soils and by his own hands, it epitomizes this world-class winemaker’s passion project in one flawless bottle. 

Everything that went into this bottle—the perfect Brunello vintage and Ferrini’s dedication to elegance above all—comes across in every sip. It’s “seamless,” in the words of James Suckling, and super-seductive from the first aromas of wild red fruit, sun-kissed red roses, cocoa, green tobacco, and tomato leaf. Complex and layered on the palate, the wine is laden with sour cherry and plum, with excellent acidity and generous tannins that will allow it to cellar for a decade and beyond.