2017 Livio Sassetti Pertimali Brunello di Montalcino 750 ml

Livio Sassetti doesn’t miss.

Years ago, Robert Parker declared, “If I had only one Brunello to drink, it would be Pertimali,” and Sassetti has turned out stunning, traditional Brunellos with unbelievable consistency ever since. It’s a resolutely traditional estate, and it possesses a unique clone of Brunello that is planted nowhere else, with the vines now between 28 and 46 years old.

So it’s no surprise that—in a warm 2017 Tuscan season that put growers and winemakers to the test—Sassetti crafted one of the year’s best bottles. Wine Advocate put it plainly: “The primary intensity is radiant in this wine, setting it apart from many of its peers.”

The Sassetti family has farmed some of Montalcino’s finest vineyards for more than a century, a longevity that’s given them an intimacy with the land that few of their peers can match. This wine was grown on the hill of Montosoli, what Forbes called Montalcino’s “Grand Cru,” and it shows why Vinous said Sassetti’s wines are “some of the sleekest and purest of Montalcino.”

Give this wine 45 minutes in the decanter, then marvel as it reveals aromas of black raspberries, mint, licorice, sappy herbs, and dusty earth. It’s a Brunello of balance and savory depth, with a palate of great intensity and verve, framed by finely integrated tannins that show persistence, sophistication, and great detail.

Over the years, Pertimali’s complexity and intensity have enthralled Wine Access members to no end. One called it “honestly the best Brunello I have ever had.” Others hailed it as “awesome” and “absolutely stunning.” This 2017 is a vintage-topping value that puts Sassetti’s brilliance on full display.