2016 Altesino Montosoli

Brunello di Montalcino

 

97 JD / 97 JS / 96 WA / 96 VM

$99.89/bottle

ETA April - Buy Now

                      

2016 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino

95+ WA / 95+ JD / 95 JS / 94 VM

$54.89/bottle

ETA April - Buy Now

 

         

Brunello di Montalcino from single vineyards are among Italy's wine treasures. They stand in contrast to most Brunellos, which are blends of grapes from different vineyards scattered across the small region. This makes vineyard-specific Brunellos often times more aromatic reds with finer and more elegant tannins, and they express unique soil types and microclimates of predominately southwest-facing vineyards.

 

One of top vineyards of Montalcino is the vineyard of Montosoli owned by the estate of Altesino, one of the many properties but the favorite of Altesino owner Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini. It's a good place to start as Elisabetta's Montosoli was the first Brunello di Montalcino to be bottled from a single vineyard, starting as a riserva in 1975, but becoming a stand-alone cru by 1978.     

 


 

2016 Altesino Montosoli Brunello di Montalcino

97 JD / 97 JS / 96 WA / 96 VM 

$99.89/bottle (ETA April) Buy Now

 

Montosoli lies above the morning fog line, allowing for greater exposure to the morning sun, and was the first single vineyard designated wine in Montalcino’s history with its first vintage in 1975. The 2016 takes all the components of the estate Brunello and is amplified with concentrated raspberry coulis, sage, and rose petal. Once again, there is tremendous consistency from the nose to the palate, though here the structure is compact and will need additional time for those who shy away from grippy, building tannins. Drink over the next 20 years or more. Drink 2024-2042. Audry Frick – JebDunnuck .com

 

Lovely sweet cherries and heather with some leather and balsamic undertones. It’s full-bodied with a velvety and lightly dusty palate. Juicy fruit and pretty orange peel to the berry character. Hints of cedar and meat at the end. Subtle and complex. Drink after 2025. James Suckling

 

The Altesino 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli (with 15,000 bottles produced) is a true beauty. The wine reveals dark fruit intensity that comes forth as blackberry, plum and summer cherry. In no time, those aromas shift to the savory side of the spectrum with smoke, tar and tobacco. The results are generous and layered, offering the best of what the celebrated Montosoli cru can offer, especially in an ironic vintage such as this. Monica Larner – The Wine Advocate

 

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli pulls you close to the glass with a captivating display of candied citrus rinds, incense and dried roses giving way to rich cherry sauce and a hint of brown spice. It’s deeply textural yet youthfully dense, as it first cools the palate with lavender and ripe dark red fruits; yet beneath is a layer of grippy tannins that close the wine down. Notes of licorice, black tea and purple florals linger on the youthfully chewy finale. The 2016 is just a baby today, and it will need a number of years to come fully into focus - but it will be worth the wait. Eric Guido – Vinous Media

 

2016 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino

95+ WA / 95+ JD / 95 JS / 94 VM 

$54.89/bottle (ETA April) Buy Now

$119.89/magnum (ETA April) Buy Now

$289.89/3L (ETA April) Buy Now

 

Bold cherry, dried raspberry and myrtle add to the intensity and the brightness of the bouquet. The Altesino 2016 Brunello di Montalcino displays a lively and fruit-forward ensemble with an infectious and cheerful sense of energy. This is a tonic and crisp expression of Sangiovese with lifted berry aromas backed by subtle spice, tar and licorice gained over two years of barrel aging. This is a 110,000-bottle release (and a good buy for Brunello). Monica Larner – The Wine Advocate

 

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino has remarkably consistent integration from the nose to the palate. There are generous aromatics of fresh raspberry, rosemary, lavender and Mediterranean herbs. The palate opens up with ripe and inviting cherry fruit and tea leaf, with supple tannin and freshness on the finish. Its drinkability now should not be confused for a lack of structure, as it is true to the energetic nature of the vintage. Drink 2021-2036. Audry Frick – JebDunnuck .com

 

Fresh violet, forest-floor and some pear-skin aromas, underneath brambleberries. Fresher style of Brunello. It's medium-bodied with silky tannins and a great balance between fresh-fruit and forest flavors. Drink after 2023. James Suckling

 

Remarkably pretty and poised yet packed full of potential, the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino lifts with grace and elegance, showing dusty roses, wild strawberry, white smoke and hints of wet stone. It’s silky and refined, with cooling acids and minerals giving way to savory red berries and spice. Energy remains high, even as fine tannins create a classically dry and youthful expression, tapering off to violet florals, mocha and a hint of licorice that seems to linger for well over a minute. This is deceptively drinkable today, yet it has all of the necessary components to gain in weight and complexity over a decade or more of cellaring.-- Eric Guido - Vinous Media



 

 
Ron van Vlaardingen

Fine Wine Sales Director

Grand Vin Wine Merchants

1003 4th Avenue E  | Olympia, WA  98506 | Office: 360.350.4896 x2

www.grandvinwinemerchants.com | ronv@grandvinwinemerchants.com 

 
 
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Grand Vin Wine Merchants · 1003 4th Ave East · Olympia, Washington 98506 · United States (360) 350-4896