10 Best Brunello di Montalcino Wines & Producers to Know

Altesino is one of Brunello’s most established and respected producers today. The property has a long history; since 2002, the Gnudi Angelini family has owned Altesino. The estate remains one of Montalcino’s historic innovators, not least for its pioneering Montosoli bottling. However, the regular bottling also shows excellent depth and class: full, ripe, meaty, and approachable soon after release. The Riserva adds an extra dimension of complexity, but the cru Montosoli that collectors drool over is a wine of immense depth and power. The vineyards sit in a particularly favored sub-zone in northern Brunello. Made only in the top years, it adds concentration, depth, and finesse to a remarkable wine. Take our advice; try to find the 2001 vintage if you can. It’s outstanding.

This wonderful 40-hectare property produces a stellar Brunello di Montalcino from 16 hectares of choice Sangiovese vineyards. Casato Prime Donne is distinguished by its all-female winery team, including the winemaker, an approach conceived by Donatella Cinelli Colombini as a practical statement about opportunities for women in wine. All the wines are fruit-rich, expressive, and well-balanced. The Prime Donne selection adds extra weight and structure and needs at least 3-5 years of cellaring. But it is the monumental Riserva that we get excited about; recent vintages have been in superlative form, and the wines at Prime Donne keep getting better. Expect a vibrant, structured, and chewy style suitable for extended aging. The only problem is no one ever has that kind of patience!

There can be little doubt that Nardi belongs to an elite of Brunello producers renowned for their slavish pursuit of quality and perfection. The estate’s modern evolution included the expertise of Bordeaux oenologist Yves Glories, who began consulting here in 1996. The regular Brunello is superb, made to let the fruit shine at a relatively young age, but with a robust structure that means there is never any rush to drink wines from a top vintage. This team’s prowess shines brightest in the single-vineyard Brunello Manachiara, an outstanding wine that shows tremendous depth, complexity, and class—an icon of top-notch Tuscan winemaking.

Giancarlo Pacenti is one of Montalcino’s greatest winemakers, utilizing his 22 hectares of vineyards to craft a Brunello of superlative quality and style. Recent vintages have all been exemplary. One could argue that this is a strong contender for the finest Brunello on the market. Pacenti judiciously uses a percentage of new oak to add an extra dimension to the existing marvelous fruit and extract quality. These are indeed exceptional wines, and the price naturally reflects that! They display richness, breadth, and power, complemented by great length, excellent tannins, and impeccable balance, in a word – perfection.

Gaja’s involvement in Montalcino dates to 1994, when the family acquired Pieve Santa Restituta. Winemaker Guido Rivella was trusted to make a wine worthy of Gaja’s name and exceeded expectations; the single-vineyard Sugarille Brunello is one of the region’s finest expressions of a single cru site. It shows elegance and structure that set it apart from most other Brunellos. The aromas and flavors are typically pronounced; cedar, spice, and black fruits all vie for attention. It captures what great Brunello is about: elegance and finesse, balanced by a muscular, concentrated wine. Top vintages will cellar for decades.

Gianfranco Soldera’s remarkable estate produced some of the most expensive and controversial Brunello (from the 2006 vintage onward, the wine became Toscana IGT). Sourced from some of Montalcino’s most prized vineyards, the grapes are grown organically, with great efforts to maximize fruit quality and enrich the ecosystem. The winemaking was natural, and the wines were subject to an extended and rigorous maceration that precedes a stay of typically five years in large oak botti. The resulting wines are massive in flavor and structure; aged examples show tremendous breadth and complexity, with prices to match. Gianfranco released Brunello in tiny quantities, with Riserva produced only in selected vintages in small quantities, so he can be forgiven for charging a hefty sum for such a magnificent wine. This is a Brunello that every wine lover must try at least once in their lifetime – magnifico!