On November 1, JamesSuckling.com will announce the Wine of the Year 2019 in Beijing during the Great Wines of the World Grand Tasting at the Rosewood Hotel and post the complete list of the Top 100 Wines of 2019.
This year James, his son Jack and Senior Editor Nick Stock rated more than 25,000 wines while traveling to nearly all the major wine regions in the world. The region that stood out was Italy’s famous Brunello di Montalcino. The 2015 vintage for Brunello, which will begin to arrive on the market next January, is a historical one and produced no fewer than 11 perfect wines.
Five of those 100-point Brunellos are in the running for the title of JamesSuckling.com Wine of the Year. This page and the video above highlights each of the final contenders and features interviews with the winemakers and owners of each estate.
THE CONTENDERS
Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona Brunello di Montalcino Pianrosso 2015
This famous producer of Brunello di Montalcino has been making balanced, precise and beautiful reds since the 1980s. However, it’s their recent vintages that show the most focus and intensity. The family-owned winery primarily makes two Brunellos: a regular bottling and a single-vineyard wine named Vigna di Pianrosso. The latter is always a step up in terms of quality with more concentration and depth of fruit on the palate. The Pianrosso Santa Caterina d’Oro Riserva is only made in top vintages, and it is a selection of the best grapes from the vineyard in that respective year. Click here to read the tasting note
Luce Della Vite Brunello di Montalcino 2015
Tenuta Luce is a Tuscany wine estate that is located on the hills of southern Montalcino. Originally a joint venture between the Florentine Frescobaldi family and California’s winemaking Mondavi clan in the mid-1990s, it is now wholly owned by the Frescobaldis. The wines are going from strength to strength. Besides the phenomenal Brunello, the merlot-sangiovese blend Luce is not to be missed; it combines stunning opulence with astonishing finesse. The property’s third wine, Lux Vitis, made from a cabernet sauvignon vineyard in Montalcino and sangiovese, is also worth seeking out for its scarcity value. Click here to read the tasting note
Renieri Brunello di Montalcino 2015
Marco Bacci of Chianti Classico’s well-respected Castello di Bossi bought this gorgeous Brunello vineyard in the late 1990s. However, it’s only now that the wines are coming into their own. This is probably because the vines are at a good age to yield superlative grapes. Renieri has been producing excellent wines, both Brunellos di Montalcino and Super Tuscans, since the 2006 vintage. The former show fabulous depth and fruit yet remain polished. Renieri’s 100-point 2010 Riserva was our no. 2 Italian wine of 2016. This is a red-hot estate in Tuscany to watch. Don’t miss it. Click here to read the tasting note
San Filippo Brunello di Montalcino Le Lucére 2015
Roberto Giannelli commutes nearly every day from his house in Florence to his Brunello di Montalcino estate of San Filippo. And he doesn’t mind the two-hour drive one bit because he is dedicated to making elegant Brunellos of wonderful quality. Giannelli has clearly fallen in love with this small, deluxe estate, which has about 10 hectares of vineyards. The single-vineyard Brunello named Le Lucére shows a unique, almost Burgundian richness and texture. In top years, Le Lucere also comes as a Riserva Brunello. The 2010 scored a perfect 100 points, underlining how this small Brunello estate has come of age. Click here to read the tasting note
Siro Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne 2015
Located on the northern slopes of Montalcino, the winery of Siro Pacenti is a leader in Brunello di Montalcino. The winery is known for creating dense, powerful wines, as well for its precise, able winemaker and owner Giancarlo Pacenti. Pacenti produces his Brunellos from vineyards in the northern and southern areas of the appellation, which gives them a beautiful balance of richness and freshness. His wines also age extremely well thanks to magnificent finesse and structure. Even in challenging years, Pacenti manages to deliver superb Brunellos. Click here to read the tasting note
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