2021 Gianni Brunelli Brunello di Montalcino

Pouring a bright red hue, the 2021 Brunello Di Montalcino is persistent and fantastic, with youthful tension and expressive aromatics of Bing cherries, orange zest, and iron-tinged earth. The palate is medium-bodied and focused, with refined tannins, refreshing acidity, and savory length framed by salty earth and bright fruit through the finish. It’s a complete, elegant Brunello that should continue to improve with time in bottle. (AF)

Securing an allocation of Gianni Brunelli is always a race against time, but with the perfect 100-point score from Kerin O'Keefe for this 2021 vintage, it has become the ultimate "unicorn" of the year. This is a pre-arrival opportunity to secure a piece of Montalcino history before it physically lands and inevitably disappears. To understand why this wine is so profound, you have to look at the unique architecture of the estate. Laura Brunelli, who has managed the winery with incredible passion since Gianni’s passing, masters a blend of two distinct and complementary terroirs that is unlike anything else in the region. The heart of the estate is the "Le Chiuse di Sotto" vineyard in the north. This is sacred ground—ancestral lands of the Biondi Santi family—sitting at 320 meters elevation. Here, the soils are cool, rich in clay, and ventilated by constant breezes. This site provides the "nervous system" of the wine: the high-toned aromatics, the electric acidity, and the vibrant energy that makes Brunelli so distinct.