2016 San Giorgio Ugolforte Brunello di Montalcino Tuscany 750 ml

We were impressed by the 2016 San Giorgio Ugolforte’s universal acclaim, especially considering its all-star vintage, but its complexity and precision took us from “tell us more,” to “We’ll take a case.” This is Brunello excellence far beyond its price tag, a bottle thatVinous hailed as one of the “standouts in the 2016 vintage.”

Tenuta San Giorgio shares a border and winemaking team with the iconic Poggio di Sotto, which Vinous says is “blessed with truly outstanding Sangiovese terroir”—a terroir that earned their 2016 Brunello a $235 price tag. Ugolforte comes from just a few steps away, and boasts an even higher score from James Suckling.

We could sing San Giorgio’s praises all day, but pour a glass and you’ll see exactly what we mean. After a little time in the decanter, the Ugolforte bursts with aromas of Morello cherries and dried raspberries, which give way to seemingly endless layers of cedar, violets, wild sage, tobacco, leather, licorice, and fresh herbs. Acidity and fine-grained tannins strike a perfect balance on the palate, carrying black cherry and red berry notes into a spicy, mouthwatering finish.

That dense complexity set nearly every major critic singing. Decanter applauded Ugolforte as “admirably uncompromising in its constitution,” and Suckling loved its “pureness and beauty.” Vinous fawned over its “youthful poise,” and “depths of velvety textures,” punctuating their review with the very word that dominated our own tasting: “Wow.”

Originally founded in 1985, San Giorgio holds 14 acres of Brunello vineyards at up to 1,300 feet above sea level. At this elevation, the winds are near-constant, and often strong enough to blow the hat off your head. All that fresh Mediterranean air cleanses vines whose fruit has grown rich and concentrated with the plant’s age. Decomposed seashells and clay define the soils, making for wines of finesse and mineral nuance.