2021 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino 750 ml

Altesino is a Tuscan blue-chipper and all-time Wine Access favorite. Their 2021 Brunello di Montalcino earned a 95-point score from James Suckling, who called it “a lively Brunello” with “lovely energy at the end.”

The 2021 vintage is already being called one of Montalcino’s finest in years—more elegant and classical than the powerful 2019, with a nervy, structured backbone and luminous aromatics. A spring frost thinned the crop naturally, concentrating what remained. The summer was warm and dry, with crucial rains arriving at the end of August. September brought the kind of cool nights that drive phenolic complexity and sharpen acidity—the result is a vintage critics are comparing to legendary years like 2004 and 2016.

Radiant ruby in the glass, Altesino’s 2021 Brunello opens with aromas of black cherry, wild raspberry, and blood orange mingling with dried herbs, tobacco leaf, and a hint of rose petal. The palate is energetic and finely structured, with vivid red fruit framed by polished tannins and notes of black tea, licorice, and crushed stone. The finish is long and graceful, lingering with floral lift and mineral tension.

Altesino is located in a 15th-century palazzo, but its history as a wine estate goes back just over 50 years, making it a baby by Brunello di Montalcino standards. Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini acquired Altesino in 2002, and since then, she and her winemaking team of Simone Giunti and Alessandro Ciacci have staked out a position at the apex of the region, offering a modern and innovative take on one of Italy’s most beloved denominaziones. Composed of grapes from their Altesino, Macina, Pianezzine, and Castelnuovo dell’Abate vineyards, this bottle brings an elite level of quality and collectibility.