98pts James Suckling

Attractive aromas of balsamic, tea, dark berry, walnut and coffee bean. Full-bodied, yet tight and very intense with ripe tannins that are fine and reserved. Racy and polished. Beautiful length to this wine. Needs at least two to three years to come. Try after 2024.

97pts Jeb Dunnuck

The 2016 Brunello Di Montalcino pours a rich ruby hue yet remains transparent, with savory, layered aromas of red cherry, saddle leather, cedar, damp forest floor, and wild herbs. It is medium to full-bodied, with a ripe yet structured feel, ample tension, and notes of red plum, currant, dried roses, orange rind, and white pepper. Persistent and linear, with a long finish, it will continue to mature into more umami tones of shitake and tea leaf. (AF)

96pts Vinous

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino is one of those young wines that, from the moment you put your nose to the glass, you know you’re in for a treat. A sweetly alluring and remarkably fresh bouquet of crushed cherries, strawberries and plums is further complicated by hints of clove, spiced orange peels and mint. It’s velvety-smooth and radiant with a display of dark red fruits, all tightly wound up in a web of minerals, with an air of savory herbs and inner florals that develop toward the close. (EG)

95pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The Valdicava 2016 Brunello di Montalcino shows a subtle bouquet that needs extra time to open. In fact, I suggest you open your bottle about four hours before serving. This Brunello takes its time, but it inches over the senses with carefully increasing intensity. Wild cherry, toasted almond and even a touch of sweet apple or orange peel distinguish the bouquet. The tannins are firm and young, but all they need is extra time to evolve. This wine is like being introduced to a stranger who takes his time to reveal his personality, but who then turns into a true friend and confidant. Patience is required when approaching this 40,000-bottle release. (ML)

95pts Wine Spectator

Fleeting aromas of cherry, cedar, sanguine and leather give way to a beam of ripe cherry, berry and earth flavors in this elegant red. Firm and resonant, with a matrix of dusty tannins on the long finish.

Winemaker Notes

Authors since the fifteenth century have borne witness to the fact that the wine produced in the hills south of Sienna was especially good, although the actual name “Brunelo” didn’t appear until the end of the nineteenth century. This was thanks to Ferruccion Biondi-Santi, who abandoned the practice of “uvaggio” (that is the mixing of different grape varieties) in favour of making this wine using only Sangiovese grapes. Thus was created a wine, not rough and ready like most of the wine of the period, but solid and serious, slow and noble, with a potential for improvement over time. In this way, the idea of drinking wine for pleasure replaced the hitherto common concept of wine as a means of sustenance. Martini Bramante, Vincenzo Abbruzzese’s grandfather, bought the property in 1953 and began bottling “Brunello Valdicava” in 1968.