2020 Brunello di Montalcino

Rainy June, dry July with temperatures up to 36 °C, stormy August with high temperatures. Presumably they were glad of their Leroy-like vine training/plaiting, known as accapannare in Italian and practised from 2009. The Simmonit team has been advising them from 2023. Deep crimson with almost bitter fruit. Lovely and fresh and already superb for current drinking! Very well-mannered and satin-textured. (JR)

The first look at Giodo's 2020 Brunello Di Montalcino is a showstopper and one of the highlights of the vintage. It pours a jeweled ruby color and is ripe and giving on the nose, with ripe, pure aromas of preserved raspberries, fresh herbs, sweet mossy earth, and a pristine floral profile. Medium-bodied, it fills and expands through the palate, with ripe tannins, broad shoulders, and a clean, mineral finish with a darker profile. It's going to improve as it leans into its more tertiary notes of black truffle and tea leaf and gets darker on the finish. This may be a wine that competes with 2019 for complexity and depth, and it will be worth cellaring to find out. Drink 2027-2050.

From vintner Carlo Ferrini, the Giodo 2020 Brunello di Montalcino is a balanced, medium-plus intensity wine that delivers excellent focus and sharpness. You get the generosity and softness of the vintage with Mediterranean tones of lavender and rosemary that frame a pretty core of cherry and blackcurrant. You also get a savory note of something that reminds me of fragrant tea leaf. The tannins are expertly managed, and the wine's texture builds steadily in the mouth. It shows superb phenolic ripeness with no sharp edges. The finish is fleshed out, contemporary and generous. Production is 16,000 bottles.