2021 Bramante Cosimi Brunello di Montalcino 750 ml

There are a lot of reasons why the 2021 Bramante Cosimi Brunello should cost a lot more than it does.

Bramante Cosimi is made by winemaker Rudy Cosimi from his family’s estate, Il Poggiolo, which sits west of Biondi-Santi and just north of Le Ragnaie. It’s an absolutely prime location south of the town of Montalcino. They don’t produce much wine, either—it’s hard to find the Bramante Cosimi Brunello on these shores.

Vinous called the 2021 Brunellos “exquisite,” and the praise hasn’t stopped there. Wine Advocate described the vintage as “a classically styled, cellar-worthy expression of Sangiovese, distinguished by freshness, structural clarity and elegance.” The Brunello Consorzio itself landed on three words to characterize the 2021s: fragrant, defined, and vertical.

When Roberto Cosimi produced his first bottle of Brunello, there were only 28 producers of Brunello di Montalcino. Amazingly, that wasn’t that long ago: He founded the estate in 1971.

Roberto had been working selling farm equipment, and he saved up his money until he could afford to buy a small piece of land just south of the town of Montalcino itself—property values were a lot lower in the early ‘70s. He ended up with a property he named Il Poggiolo, “The Balcony,” in reference to its high elevation, which endows the muscular Sangiovese Grosso clone with a layer of refinement and elegance.

Now, Roberto’s son Rudy makes the wines and runs the estate. The wines have never been better—especially considering the standout 2021 vintage.

The 2021 season began with a jolt. An April frost reduced yields across the appellation—a natural thinning that concentrated what remained on the vine. A warm, dry summer followed, keeping disease pressure low, and two well-timed rains refreshed the vines without diluting the fruit. September temperatures moderated beautifully, alternating between warm days and cool nights, preserving the acidity that gives great Brunello its spine.

The Bramante Cosimi aged for two years in large French oak casks and has since been slowly polished by time in bottle. Its structure will allow it to age, but the tannins have softened enough to make it delicious now.