2019 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Franci

With 3,000 bottles produced and coming from the southeast in Castelnuovo dell’Abate, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva Franci pours a youthful red/garnet hue and is showing exceptionally well today. The nose is beautifully expressive, with ripe red cherries, blood orange, well-integrated toasted cedar, salty earth, fresh flowers, and dried herbs. The palate is medium-bodied and energetic, with brisk acidity, salty minerality, and well-defined tannins that keep it vibrant in this warm yet noble vintage. Drink 2026-2046. Fabio Tassi very well may be the unofficial mayor of Montalcino. He has grown his family estate from what originated as a beekeeping business. In addition to the winery, he owns and operates two restaurants in the town of Montalcino, Drogheri Franci and La Sosta, as well as the wine shop nestled inside the Fortezza. At each of these establishments, he champions the winemakers across the region and explores those wines that are not often found in the rural areas of Tuscany. The wines he is making are not to be scoffed at either and deserve recognition in their own right as he continues to evolve and push the bar higher. The wines display a great deal of clarity, and while sometimes on the ripe side, find balance and refinement. This year the wines were tasted several times, once alongside Fabbio’s daughter, Fiamma Tassi, who has officially joined her family estate. In the spirit of this family, who is constantly pushing outside of their comfort zone, we tasted an experiment of Trebbiano from 2025, which was fermented in equal parts Tava terracotta and stainless steel, prior to it going into barrel. While I don’t think it’s appropriate to score it here (though quite tasty indeed), it speaks volumes to the childlike curiosity they bring to their work, while simultaneously fine-tuning the core portfolio.