2021 Castello Romitorio Brunello di Montalcino 750 ml

In a standout Brunello growing season like 2021, Castello Romitorio's Brunello di Montalcino is at another level entirely. The critics agree, and nearly in unison: this bottle earned scores of 96+ from Wine Advocate, 96 from Jeb Dunnuck, and 95 from both Wine Spectator and Vinous.

Romitorio has long been a member-favorite, and this bottle blew us away when we tasted it in Tuscany. It's made under the watch of Carlo Ferrini, the 100-point consulting winemaker Decanter calls an “Italian Master,” and it packs power and structure, livened by a beautiful elegance and freshness.

Increasingly, that work is a family affair. Sandro Chia—one of the most famous artists in Italy, whose bold canvases adorn every Romitorio label—rescued this estate from decay in the 1980s, and today his son Filippo has taken the reins, bringing what Wine Advocate calls “a refined understanding of the aesthetics of Brunello di Montalcino.”

Castello Romitorio is located in the hills of Tuscany, interspersed with forest land teeming with wolves, deer, foxes, and wild boars. It likely dates back to Roman times—first it was a temple, then a fortress and monastery, then a shelter for shepherds and their flocks. It was abandoned during World War II and sat in disrepair until the 1980s, when Chia returned the castle and its grounds to their former glory, and Carlo Ferrini's top talent has elevated the estate's wine every step of the way.

This estate occupies a distinctive corner of the appellation. Romitorio sits in Montalcino's forested northwest, where thick woods surround each vineyard and dramatic day-to-night temperature swings preserve freshness even in warm years. This stony terroir yields dark, mineral Brunellos of surprising elegance. In 2021, with no Riserva produced, the estate channeled its best fruit across seven plots into this single bottling.

The 2021 vintage gave Montalcino exactly what it needed. A rainy spring built healthy water reserves, an April frost naturally concentrated the crop, and a warm, dry summer followed, refreshed by well-timed rains. September delivered the warm days and cool nights that drive complexity and sharpen acidity. Critics are lining 2021 up alongside legendary years like 2016 and 2019—more classical and structured, built for the long haul.

The way to buy this is by the case, and watch it evolve over the next decade-plus.