AltesinoBrunello di Montalcino 2015

Terracotta, earth, iron filings, cedar and leather make for an undergrowth-driven Brunello 2015, which doesn’t fall short in the fruit department either, where there are red plums and red cherries. The tannins are neatly stacked, one on top of the other, with tidy acidity drawing in vibrant fruit and keeping it taut throughout. Balanced and stylish. Drink from 2023.

The Altesino 2015 Brunello di Montalcino shows beautiful depth and latitude, with broad fruit aromas of dark cherry and cassis that recall the warmth and golden sunlight of the vintage. The wine is deceivingly streamlined in terms of mouthfeel, but that slim and buttoned-down backbone supports a broad range of flavors and sensations, from lavender essence and camphor ash to moist soil and toasted spice. All of these elements are delivered with impressive harmony and unity, and I expect that this wine will continue on a slow, steady and satisfying aging trajectory over the next 10 years or more. Fruit is sourced from across 21 hectares of vines with tufaceous limestone soils and Alberese rock, which contributes to the freshness and balanced structure of the wine. The wine was bottled in June 2019 (with 150,000 bottles made), and this wine was released in January 2020.

Altesino's 2015 Brunello di Montalcino offers a rich yet classic expression of Sangiovese fruit, showing ripe red berries coated in dusty earth tones, with hints of leather and dried florals completing the picture. On the palate, brisk acids frame silky textures, creating a polished expression of red and black fruits, savory spice and saline-minerals. The finish is long yet fresh, as cooling mint and licorice tones carry remnants of red berry fruit hovering above a core of fine tannins.

-- Eric Guido