2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
Warm with baking spice, the 2015 Brunello Riserva has comforting aromas of cherry pie and purple plum. Full of ripe fruit, the palate gives way to more vinous, savory characteristics of cherry pit, black licorice, and tea leaf. The 2015 was aged for four years in new and used Slavonian oak. This is a contemplative wine in the Altesino lineup which deserves time to show what its potential will hold. Cellar 3-5 years and enjoy 2025-2035. Altesino’s modern history begins with Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini, who purchased the estate in 2001 and at the same time purchased the Caparzo estate in the north of Montalcino. Altesino’s holdings include 50 hectares, 26 of which are reserved for Brunello production. Of their seven vineyard sites, Montosoli was the first to carry a vineyard designation in Montalcino, with its first vintage in 1975. Today they have seven vineyard sites, four in the south of the region, reaching as far as Castelnuovo dell’Abate, and three in the north. In 2006, they built a fully sustainable winery and are currently producing zero CO2 emissions. Fermentations occur in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks with selected yeast before being transferred to large Slavonian oak up to 120 hl in size. The winery has two full-time winemakers, Simone Giunti and Alessandro Ciacci. Elisabetta’s children, Alessandra and Ignio (aerospace and environmental engineers, respectively) both tend the estate, with Alessandra returning in 2017.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The Altesino 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (with 10,000 bottles made) shows a tight and firm delivery with the abundant fruit and the generous richness that is associated with this warm and sunny vintage. The wine is fermented in steel vats and ages in Slavonian oak casks for three years. The tannins are nicely integrated, however the wine's solid structure will carry it forward over the years.
With its mesmerizing and utterly classic bouquet, the 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva lifts from the glass, mixing crushed black cherry, plum and leathery aromas with notes of sage, lavender and violets. The textures are silky-smooth, enveloping the palate in vibrant red and hints of blue fruit, as salty minerals, spice and rosy florals build toward the close. Its tannins are firm, yet there’s plenty of primary intensity to balance, along with cooling herbal tones that add refreshing lift. One of the more successful Riservas of the vintage, the 2015 is produced from a selection made throughout Altesino’s vineyards. It's matured in a mix of 3,000 to 10,000-liter Slavonian oak barrels for two years prior to bottling.
About the producer
Altesino is one of the top producers in Brunello di Montalcino. The estate is famous for bottling the first separate Cru from the Montosoli hill, which has since become widely recognised for its distinct, elegant style of Brunello.