Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Annata

Brunello di Montalcino, Italy

The founding wine of Brunello di Montalcino and Italian fine wine's most historical expression — Sangiovese Grosso from Il Greppo's old vines, aged in Slavonian oak. Dried cherry, pomegranate, iron mineral, tobacco, cedar, violets, and the characteristic Brunello austerity that demands patience but rewards magnificently over 20-30 years. At 20 years, develops extraordinary brick-orange complexity unique in Italian wine. The benchmark against which all Brunello is measured.

Pairing intelligence

• main: Montalcino's traditional game stew and its defining wine — Brunello's iron tannin and dried cherry character bridges the wild boar's richness; the wine's herbal complexity mirrors the herbs used in the stew
• main: Italy's greatest beef and its greatest red — Brunello's iron tannin and acidity cuts through the extraordinary fat of a Chianina T-bone; the wine's cherry and tobacco bridges the char of the grill; rosemary mirrors the wine's herbal complexity