2017 Santa Giulia Brunello di Montalcino Tuscany 750 ml

Santa Giulia Brunello di Montalcino is priced exactly how we would expect it to be—if we were living in 1997.

That’s what makes Gianluca Terzuoli’s organically farmed Brunello such an opportunity: Authentically Brunello, it’s priced like a Chianti Classico riserva. Writing in Wine Advocate, Monica Larner said “what you get here is true and genuine.” 

The Master Sommelier and Master of Wine on our tasting panel agreed heartily. This is sappy and satisfying “weeknight” Brunello from a traditional producer who clearly never got the memo on pricing.  

The Terzuoli Family has owned Santa Giulia since 1950, and today the property in the northeast part of the appellation totals 44 acres, of which only about 12 are planted to Brunello. The rest is woodland and grazing habitat for the Terzuolis’ pigs, which grow fat on acorns. 

Gianluca Terzuoli makes 1,250 cases per year of this Brunello, from vines that average 25 years old. The vines’ age and the cooler climate of the extreme northeastern corner of the appellation in which the sit allowed them to weather the heat of the 2017 vintage beautifully. The soils in this corner of Montalcino are primarily clay, which retains water well and further helps the vines handle the heat. 

Bravo Gianluca!  We love this wine’s dark tones of plum, smoked cranberry, redcurrants, and oolong tea. Licorice, peppered herbs, menthol, and rose petals unfurl nicely over the bold palate. This is a fantastic Brunello to lay in by the case to pop at the drop of a hat—at pricing that looks a lot more like the 1990s than 2023!