Wine Advocate (96)

A delicately sweet note of fresh summer cherry is a precursor to budding complexity and a very articulate bouquet that opens quickly in the glass. Immediately pleasing fruit is a characteristic of the 2017 growing season that had above average temperatures and drought throughout the summer. The resistant 2017 Brunello di Montalcino takes on these challenges without missing a beat. The wine's celebrated acidity and its small berry nuances remain intact. The tannins are silky and the wine's flavors fade slowly even after you have taken your last sip.

Wine Advocate (96+)

The Biondi-Santi 2018 Brunello di Montalcino brings us to a new chapter in the estate's history. This is the first vintage made entirely by the new team (under CEO Giampiero Bertolini and Technical Director Federico Radi) following the 2016 acquisition of Biondi-Santi by the Paris-based EPI holding company. It is no doubt an exciting vintage for them, and it also benefitted from renewed oak casks and other important investments. (To date, about half the old wood has been replaced, and they continue to buy 5% to 10% new casks each year going forward.) The 2018 vintage saw above average rain and cooler conditions that led to slow-ripening. The wine is open-knit in texture and a little leaner in consistency, but it shows fresh acidity and pretty notes of violet, wild cherry and blood orange.

Wine Advocate (96+)

The Biondi-Santi 2018 Brunello di Montalcino brings us to a new chapter in the estate's history. This is the first vintage made entirely by the new team (under CEO Giampiero Bertolini and Technical Director Federico Radi) following the 2016 acquisition of Biondi-Santi by the Paris-based EPI holding company. It is no doubt an exciting vintage for them, and it also benefitted from renewed oak casks and other important investments. (To date, about half the old wood has been replaced, and they continue to buy 5% to 10% new casks each year going forward.) The 2018 vintage saw above average rain and cooler conditions that led to slow-ripening. The wine is open-knit in texture and a little leaner in consistency, but it shows fresh acidity and pretty notes of violet, wild cherry and blood orange.

Wine Spectator (99)

An intense bouquet of tar, dried porcini and mineral gives way to a powerful yet elegant red. Licorice, dried cherry, iron and spice notes fuse together on the palate, culminating in incredible length on the finish. Magnificent, this a Brunello of legendary stature.--Biondi-Santi non-blind retrospective

Vinous (96)

The 1975 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is dark, powerful and intense, with gorgeous depth and fabulous resonance. Dusty black cherries, smoke, spices, tobacco, game and earthiness flesh out in a broad, ample Brunello endowed with magnificent depth, power and intensity. Bright veins of acidity give the finish an extra kick of salinity, but overall this is a dark, brooding Brunello that shows the masculine side of Sangiovese. The textural impression is of unctuous and reminiscent of a demi-glace. The 1975 keeps getting better and better with time in the glass. There is no rush to drink the 1975. Well-stored or reconditioned bottles will drink well for another 10-15 years. This bottle was reconditioned on September 5, 2000.

Vinous (99)

It’s almost impossible to imagine that the 1985 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva La Storica has just celebrated its thirty-sixth birthday. It displays a brilliant ruby red color and amazing clarity in the glass, with only the slightest bricking around the rim. The bouquet alone is enough to keep you at the edge of your seat, as if opening a cedar treasure box to find dusty rose and sour cherry offset by spiced orange, crushed dried sage and just the slightest hint of animal musk. This is total class, cool-toned and poised, seeming to hover across the palate with an air of red inner florals, as tart woodland berries mix with hints of black tea and lemon oils. There’s a bolt of nervous acidity that keeps the experience remarkably fresh, but also adds a highly attractive sweet and sour note. And finally, while structured and youthful in feel, it finishes completely fresh, vibrant even, with dried currants enlivened by nuances of grapefruit and mint that linger on and on. This is an experience wine in every sense of the word, hailing from a dry and warm harvest yet exemplifying the purity of Sangiovese, as well as its ability to mature for well over three decades. The 1985 La Storica comes directly from the winery’s aging vault, and it was reconditioned with a new cork in 2000.

James Suckling (97)

Fantastic aromas of coffee, tea leaf, ripe plums and ginger follow through to a full body, firm and silky tannins and a rich and subtle finish. The is dense and powerful yet very refined and reserved. It needs at least five years to show its true character. One of the most refined Biondi-Santi riservas I can remember. The tannin texture is exceptional. Try in 2020.

Wine Enthusiast (100)

The Riserva 2012 is a quintessential Biondi Santi Riserva, reflecting not just the house style that made the firm famous, but it clearly shows Franco’s own hallmark of extreme elegance. The 2012 is a classic in the making, boasting enticing scents of rose, underbrush, wild red berry, new leather and underlying notes of crushed mint. It has a chiseled palate, featuring Morello cherry, pomegranate, orange zest, star anise and a hint of tobacco framed in taut, polished tannins. Firm acidity lends youthful tension and keeps it impeccably balanced.

Wine Enthusiast (100)

The Riserva 2012 is a quintessential Biondi Santi Riserva, reflecting not just the house style that made the firm famous, but it clearly shows Franco’s own hallmark of extreme elegance. The 2012 is a classic in the making, boasting enticing scents of rose, underbrush, wild red berry, new leather and underlying notes of crushed mint. It has a chiseled palate, featuring Morello cherry, pomegranate, orange zest, star anise and a hint of tobacco framed in taut, polished tannins. Firm acidity lends youthful tension and keeps it impeccably balanced.

Wine Advocate (98)

The Biondi-Santi 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a stunning wine from all points of view. Seamless integration and elegant complexity are what stand out, and it's worth dedicating a few extra lines to the aromatic depth that is put so beautifully on display as the wine slowly unfolds. The bouquet starts off with wild cherry, earth, wet ash, crème de cassis and pruny chocolate. With extra time, there are hints of dried tobacco leaf, sandalwood and mossy forest floor. These lead to a fine tail of dried herb, bay leaf and a touch of rusty nail. The Riserva comes in numbered bottles, and I opened number 04277. To the palate, the wine is streamlined and silky with smooth tannins and a well-managed 13.5% alcohol content. The oak presence is reduced to a minimum, offering mild hints of spice and the delicate sandalwood or dried fig aroma I described above. Fresh acidity is the glue that gives the wine buoyancy and staying power. At this young stage, this 2013 vintage could be considered a bit shy or slow to start, but this will play out to great advantage in the long term as the wine continues its bottle evolution.

Wine Advocate (98+)

The Biondi-Santi 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is initially a reticent wine and one that does not immediately subscribe to the overstated abundance and exuberance of the vintage. Give it time. I wrote this review after several tastings over several days so I could ensure a more accurate account of the wine's elegant reveal. Contemplative and exceedingly nuanced in personality, with wild berry, underbrush, ferrous earth and candied orange peel, this has everything to look forward to in terms of its future evolution in the bottle. It displays a pretty ruby color that borders on garnet and polished copper. A silky, mid-weight palate is accented by beautifully managed and silky tannins (this aspect of the mouthfeel is extraordinary), bright freshness and long-lasting fruit momentum. The alcohol is a bit more powerful in this release (at 14.5%), but the effect is supple and smooth nonetheless. I tasted bottle number 256.

Wine Advocate (98+)

The Biondi-Santi 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is initially a reticent wine and one that does not immediately subscribe to the overstated abundance and exuberance of the vintage. Give it time. I wrote this review after several tastings over several days so I could ensure a more accurate account of the wine's elegant reveal. Contemplative and exceedingly nuanced in personality, with wild berry, underbrush, ferrous earth and candied orange peel, this has everything to look forward to in terms of its future evolution in the bottle. It displays a pretty ruby color that borders on garnet and polished copper. A silky, mid-weight palate is accented by beautifully managed and silky tannins (this aspect of the mouthfeel is extraordinary), bright freshness and long-lasting fruit momentum. The alcohol is a bit more powerful in this release (at 14.5%), but the effect is supple and smooth nonetheless. I tasted bottle number 256.

Wine Advocate (99)

Wow, here is a vintage I've been anxiously waiting to try. The 2016 growing season was one of the best in recent memory in Montalcino, and if we look back in time, this vintage marks the year Biondi-Santi was sold to a French group. The prestigious 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva proves a mighty collector's bottle that will undoubtedly gain in complexity and depth with careful bottle age. The wine offers wild nuances of forest berry and tart cherry, and there are herbal side notes as well as floral tones of dried violet and lilac. The tannins are soft, powdery and feel like they melt away on the palate.

Wine Advocate (99)

Wow, here is a vintage I've been anxiously waiting to try. The 2016 growing season was one of the best in recent memory in Montalcino, and if we look back in time, this vintage marks the year Biondi-Santi was sold to a French group. The prestigious 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva proves a mighty collector's bottle that will undoubtedly gain in complexity and depth with careful bottle age. The wine offers wild nuances of forest berry and tart cherry, and there are herbal side notes as well as floral tones of dried violet and lilac. The tannins are soft, powdery and feel like they melt away on the palate.

Vinous (94)

Il Greppo's 2015 Rosso di Montalcino is absolutely gorgeous. Sweet tobacco, dried red cherry, cedar, rosemary, mint and anise give the Rosso lovely aromatic complexity, but it is the wine's body and resonance that stand out most. A wine of real stature and depth, Biondi-Santi's 2015 Rosso is all class, not to mention a real overachiever in my tastings and a rare Rosso that delivers the goods big time. Sadly, it won't come cheaply.

Vinous (92)

There’s a purity and savory refinement to the 2017 Rosso di Montalcino Tenuta Greppo that transcends the expectations of this warm and dry vintage. A perfumed display of wild strawberries, fresh roses, violets and a dusting of minerals lift up from the glass. Its textures are silky, carried across a feminine frame, with bright cherries and inner herbal tones that find vibrancy through a core of brilliant acidity. Nuanced tannins and dried berries linger, leaving a lightly structured yet very pretty impression. This is a great introduction to the Biondi-Santi portfolio and deserves the moniker of “Baby Brunello''. That said, the 2017 could use another year of cellaring to further unlock its inner beauty.

Vinous (92)

A bright, vibrant red in the glass, the 2018 Rosso di Montalcino takes its time, slowly unfolding to show pretty roses and hints of cherry, leather and Tuscan dust. It’s silky and caressing on the palate, revealing outstanding purity with a vivid display of wild strawberry and minerals. The 2018 then takes a turn toward the savory side, becoming quite mineral yet remaining juicy and remarkably fresh for such a young Rosso. While this is a bit of a departure from the typical “Baby Brunello” style of the Biondi-Santi Rosso, I find it quite attractive and a nice option for enjoying the house style without buying up to the bigger wines.

Vinous (92)

The 2019 Rosso di Montalcino keeps me coming back to the glass to take in its dusty mix of dried strawberries and currants offset by lifting nuances of shaved pine and mint. Soft and round in expression, the 2019 impresses on its lush textures and vivid wild berry fruit. Through it all, a core of saline tension builds, mingling minerals with gentle tannins, as the 2019 finishes with a staining of concentration, yet maintains a lovely freshness.

Wine Advocate (95+)

This is an epic vintage that has been expertly interpreted by the Biondi-Santi winemaking team. The 2021 Rosso di Montalcino has impressive complexity and finesse, the result of many complicated blending decisions. The wine remains on the shy side at the moment and will need a few more years of bottle age before its full bouquet comes into focus. The wine is essentially linear and sharp with firm structure, seething energy and bright red fruit. The vintage was warm, dry and luminous. The Sangiovese harvest started on the 9th of September.

The Boggione Barolo Brunate 2013, an exceptional offering from the Piedmont region in Italy, is an embodiment of winemaking artistry. This exquisite wine hails from the illustrious cellar of Claudio Boggione, a connoisseur firmly grounded in tradition. Hailing from the renowned Brunate vineyard, the Nebbiolo grapes are carefully cultivated on calcareous-clay soil. The fermentation process includes long skin contact, exemplifying an organic methodology.

A grand wine with a deep ruby tone, the Boggione Barolo Brunate 2013 boasts a bouquet with notes of black fruits, cocoa, dried rose, and spice. Ageing for 24 months in large Slavonian oak casks imparts an elegant tannin structure which harmonizes with the wine’s robust character.

The Boggione Barolo Brunate 2013 is a reflection of meticulous craftsmanship, guaranteed to beguile the palates of discerning wine enthusiasts with its complexity, depth, and impressive longevity. A quintessentially Italian masterpiece, it truly epitomises excellence in every sip.

Savour the finesse and emanating notes of the equisitely-crafted Boggione Barolo Brunate 2013. Nestled on the verdant slopes of La Morra, Italy, this vintage wine is a rendition of artisanal craftmanship of the revered winemaker Claudio Boggione. The vineyard meticulously adapts traditional methods, aging the wine for 48 months in Slavonic oak casks to infuse a robust, complex flavour profile.

Boggione Barolo Brunate 2013 brings forth a delightful bouquet comprising of ripe cherries and rose petals, subtly laced with delicate nuances of clove and truffle. At the heart, it reveals a sophisticated palette of dark fruit and spices with a firm tannin structure. Its poised acidity and enduring finish echo the memorable Langhe terroir.

An elegant Nebbiolo masterpiece, this coveted wine embodies the cellar's pursuit of excellence. An unparalleled consignment for every fine wine lover, Boggione Barolo Brunate 2013 is a harmonious blend of traditional craft and bold Italian authenticity.