2016 Marchesi Antinori Pian Delle Vigne Brunello di Montalcino
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Tasting notes
This is a wine to watch, thanks to some exciting new changes to come. The Antinori family purchased new vineyards located at the highest point in the appellation at the romantically named Passo del Lume Spento (Pass of the Extinguished Lantern) where higher altitudes make for cooler growing conditions. This new acquisition complements the estate's current holdings in Pian delle Vigne (translated as the "flatlands of vines") located at much warmer lower elevations with heavier reddish soils. That means future vintages (wines to come after the 2018 Brunello that is already in bottle as I write this) may see a blend of fruit from the two sites, giving the winemaking team much more latitude to blend from both cool and warm parcels. Or the Passo del Lume Spento fruit could end up in its own single-vineyard bottling. It will be interesting to see how the estate uses its new fruit and its new winery. The Marchesi Antinori 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Pian delle Vigne takes us back to a classic profile for the estate in which you perceive an open and approachable bouquet. This is textbook Pian delle Vigne. The wine's foundations are rooted in ripeness with dried cherry and blackberry, and there are earthy notes with some powdery licorice and iron ore. Pian delle Vigne performs nicely in the celebrated 2016 vintage; however, this wine remains far more accessible than its peers, and I suggest a near to medium-term drinking window as a result. It was racked out of barrel and went into glass sooner in order to preserve the aromatic integrity of the vintage. Prioritizing glass over barrel aging is a trend we are seeing across the appellation. Some 190,000 bottles were made.
Critic scores
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Mid ruby. A little reductive and nondescript at first but with aeration increasingly complex on the nose. Sappy, juicy, rich cherry fruit, but not heavy. Just a tiny bit sweet on the finish, but not heavy or over-concentrated. Long finish with coating tannins. Seems this wine is going through a very welcome stylistic change with a greater focus on origin and less on winemaking. (WS)
The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino has aromatics of red cherry liqueur, balsamic, and fresh fig, with a sunny Mediterranean feel. The palate is forward with grippy tannins, though matched with ripe mid-palate fruit and freshness, with ripe red cherry, dried herbs, and tobacco. The 2016 was aged for two years in large oak, before resting in bottle. Enjoy 2025-2035. Pian delle Vigne is an Antinori estate they acquired in 1995 and is overseen by winemaker Dora Pacciani.
The 2016 Pian delle Vigne Brunello di Montalcino from Antinori is dark and rich, displaying notes of brown spice, mocha and tobacco, before giving way to musky black cherries and sage. Its cooling, creamy textures usher in a dense wave of ripe red and hints of black fruit, with salty minerals and fine-grained tannins providing grip. Licorice and violets resonate, along with inner earth tones throughout the long and structured finish. The Pian delle Vigne will require many years of cellaring to show its best, but it is well worth the wait.
About the producer
Marchesi Antinori is a leading Italian producer, historically based in Tuscany, who rose to fame after creating Tignanello – one of the first Super Tuscans . Combining tradition and innovation to craft fine wine, the family-owned firm has been a force in the Italian wine industry for over 600 years.