Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2018 Castiglion del Bosco
Castiglion del Bosco

Our Score: 93

Brunello di Montalcino is made with 100% Sangiovese, which grows particularly well in the hills of Montalcino, in the southeastern part of Tuscany. It’s a medium bodied wine with a long finish and a good persistency. The typical Brunello is aged in large barrels, while the modern approach is to use new French barrique. In this regard, the owner of Castiglion del Bosco, Massimo Ferragamo (heir of the Ferragamo fashion brand), blends the two approaches, adopting a typical style with a modern twist. It starts at the nose with a note of pomegranate and red berries, followed by dry violets, a balsamic note of eucalyptus, and vanilla bean.

Grape: Sangiovese

Pairing: Let’s start with Tuscan crostini, and then beef filet with mushrooms, but also pasta cacio e pepe. I personally also love it to accompany an easy dinner with a pizza margherita (cheese, tomato and basil leaves).

Appellation: Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Italy
Brunello di Montalcino DOCG has to be made 100% with Sangiovese grapes alone, and made only within the Montalcino municipality area; it can be sold in the market from January 1 of its fifth year after harvest. Until that moment, the wine cannot legally be called Brunello di Montalcino (not even in the cellar): it is simply "red wine to become Brunello di Montalcino DOCG".

For example, the 2020 harvest will be sold starting January 1, 2025. During this long period of “becoming Brunello,” the wine should mature for at least two years in wood barrels and at least four months in the bottle.
The Riserva should age at least twelve more months—with six of them spent in the bottle.