Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2019

Montalcino is one of the most important wine zones in the world, and Corte dei Venti is easy to miss. The estate sits at the end of a long, winding dirt road in the south of Montalcino, among red soils. You find it only if you know exactly where you’re going.

The Riserva is made only in the great vintages, and 2019 is one of them. Full-bodied and powerful, with tannins already woven in. Ripe cherry, dried red roses, sweet spice, black truffle, tea leaf and tobacco lead to a long, mineral finish. It is concentrated and balanced, and it drinks with an ease that surprises in a wine this size. Bottles tend to empty faster than planned.

The grapes are hand-harvested. The wine then spends four years in large Slovenian oak casks. About 2,500 bottles were made, and few remain.