Winemaker Notes
Deep ruby red with brilliant garnet reflections, the bouquet is rich, ample and intense with notes of brushwood, berries, plums, violets, spices and vanilla confirmed on the palate; wonderful elegance and balance, lush concentration, voluptuous body and silky, smooth tannins. Shows power and finesse all at once.
A wonderful accompaniment to red meat, stews, complex dishes and aged cheese.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
When I tried Costanti’s 2020 Rosso in 2022, Andrea described the vintage as better suited for Brunello given the high dry extract and sturdy structure. Indeed, his 2020 Brunello is one of the vintage’s anomalies. It possesses rare profundity and decisiveness of tannins. The nose invites with plum blossom, dark currants, mint and an earthy undertow. Upfront tannins are substantial, grainy and crisp, and the sour cherry and cranberry core soars from the depths bringing bitter cocoa, coffee and alpine herbs along for the ride. Juicy acidity rings out and a distinct saltiness permeates the finish. Nevertheless, it is that unwavering backbone that currently commands, promising a long life ahead.
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Vinous
The 2020 Brunello di Montalcino clocks in at 14.4% alcohol, the highest alcohol level ever achieved at the winery. It's also the most concentrated wine Andrea Costanti has ever produced, boasting high levels of dry extract and polyphenols, all balanced by a significant 5.8 grams per liter of residual acidity. This is a vibrant and complex effort, bursting with aromas of crushed cherries, autumnal spices, cedar and dried blood oranges. It's juicy and concentrated on the palate, with layers of tart red berries and crunchy mineral tones. Bracing acidity adds a lively, spicy edge while it finishes long and resonant, with sweet-and-sour notes and lingering hints of licorice. This will undoubtedly benefit from further aging.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From galestro-rich soils, the Conti Costanti 2020 Brunello di Montalcino offers a full bouquet of sweet fruit and spice. The wine is plump and rich in personality with sweet tannins and some phenolic heft due to the warm growing conditions. However, its velvety texture and full-bodied approach offer enough padding to smooth it over.
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Wine Spectator
There's a burst of cherry and plum flavors in this effusive red, along with eucalyptus, wild herb and earth accents. Exuberant and all knees and elbows today, but all of the components are there for aging over the short to medium term. Best from 2028 through 2045.
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.
Famous for its bold, layered and long-lived red, Brunello di Montalcino, the town of Montalcino is about 70 miles south of Florence, and has a warmer and drier climate than that of its neighbor, Chianti. The Sangiovese grape is king here, as it is in Chianti, but Montalcino has its own clone called Brunello.
The Brunello vineyards of Montalcino blanket the rolling hills surrounding the village and fan out at various elevations, creating the potential for Brunello wines expressing different styles. From the valleys, where deeper deposits of clay are found, come wines typically bolder, more concentrated and rich in opulent black fruit. The hillside vineyards produce wines more concentrated in red fruits and floral aromas; these sites reach up to over 1,600 feet and have shallow soils of rocks and shale.
Brunello di Montalcino by law must be aged a minimum of four years, including two years in barrel before realease and once released, typically needs more time in bottle for its drinking potential to be fully reached. The good news is that Montalcino makes a “baby brother” version. The wines called Rosso di Montalcino are often made from younger vines, aged for about a year before release, offer extraordinary values and are ready to drink young.