2017 Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino Tuscany 750 ml

After tasting today’s wine, we were not surprised: Fuligni’s 2017 Brunello is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage.

“I'd definitely put this bottle on a short list of the most recommended bottles from the 2017 vintage,” said Monica Larner of Wine Advocate, who reviewed 150 Brunellos from 2017. This wine is proof positive of the old chestnut: Buy the producer, not the vintage. Larner agreed, calling Fuligni “one of the most consistent estates in Montalcino.”

That’s thanks to the tenacity and leadership of Maria Flora Fuligni, for whom 2017 was her 71st vintage, not to mention Fuligni’s northeastern-facing slopes, which weathered 2017’s heat beautifully. 

It’s as if this 2017 Fuligni wrote the book on Sangiovese, with all of its components showing balance, harmony, and intensity, with deeply layered tones of red fruit, tobacco, and wild herbs. This is a dazzling bottle from a winery Antonio Galloni of Vinous called “among the top estates in Montalcino,” and that is “farming Sangiovese vines that grow in what is a real grand cru section.”

The land on Fuligni’s unique vineyard site is brutally difficult to work, but lies in “one of the best positions in the appellation,” according to Wine Advocate, and the vines produce Sangiovese grapes—all handpicked—that vastly and reliably overdeliver. However, the vineyard yields only minuscule quantities, so demand almost always outpaces supply. 

This is a crimson stunner that deserves a place in everyone’s cellar: wide-ranging collectors, dyed-in-the-wool devotees of Italian varieties, or any lover of red wine. It’s an absolute benchmark for the Brunello di Montalcino appellation.