Azienda Agricola Altesino
Altesino's classic Brunello, 100% Sangiovese from northern Montalcino, aged at least two years in oak. Violet, tobacco and wild berry over a warm, velvety, age-worthy palate. A benchmark Tuscan red, around 39 to 53 pounds.
Altesino's technical sheet calls this Sangiovese broad and intense, with sweet violet and underbrush; the palate is dry, warm and velvety. Across nearly 52,000 Vivino ratings drinkers keep returning to tobacco, oak, leather and red cherry.
Altesino's own sheet leads on sweet violet and underbrush, and that lifts above red cherry, tobacco and a vanilla note from time in oak. Across roughly 52,000 Vivino ratings the descriptors drinkers reach for most are tobacco, leather and red fruit, which track the producer's framing closely.
Rose petal
Violet
Black cherry
Cherry
Plum
Tobacco
Leather
VanillaDry, warm and velvety in Altesino's words, with the fine tannic grip and lively acidity Sangiovese brings to Montalcino. A minimum of two years in oak rounds the structure without burying the fruit, so the wine feels full-bodied but elegant rather than heavy.
The close is long and savoury, tobacco and leather trailing the red-cherry fruit, with a garnet-edged maturity that points to its 20-year ageing capability.
This is Altesino's classic Brunello, the annata that sits below the Montosoli cru and the Riserva, and a reliable benchmark at the price. Vivino drinkers rate it 4.2 across about 52,000 ratings; the outstanding 2019 is the one to cellar, while 2020 drinks sooner.
Three vintages are live now, 2018, 2019 and 2020, from about 39.02 to 53.20 pounds across two UK retailers. The 2019 is the value pick, an outstanding Montalcino year at the bottom of that range.
A medium-tannin, bright-acid Sangiovese that scores high for food and cellaring; at 39 to 53 pounds it is fair value for estate Brunello, less so as an everyday pour.
Medium-tannin, bright-acid Sangiovese is a classic food red; Altesino names red meat, game and aged cheese itself.
DOCG ageing rules plus two years in oak and a stated 20-year capability make this a genuine cellar wine, led by the 2019.
A prestige DOCG from a named Montalcino estate at a special-occasion price point.
At 39 to 53 pounds this estate Brunello undercuts much of the DOCG category; the 2019 in particular is strong QPR.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our editorial methodology.
A compact view of what the Brunello di Montalcino denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
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Montalcino's 2019 is the standout, an exceptional vintage built for the long haul; 2018 was cooler and is drinking earlier; 2020 is warm, ripe and approachable. Altesino puts the wine's ageing capability at 20 years and more.
A warm but balanced year, 2020 is ripe and approachable, with black cherry fruit, fine tannin and lively acidity that make it the earliest-drinking of the three.
2019 is an outstanding Montalcino vintage, balancing ripe Sangiovese fruit with firm tannin and bright acidity. Built for the long haul, it rewards a decade or more in the cellar.
A cooler, wetter Montalcino growing season gave a fresher, more classically proportioned Brunello that is drinking earlier than the warmer years either side.
Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.
Founded in 1972, Altesino farms more than 80 hectares in Montalcino and owns the celebrated Montosoli cru. It pioneered single-vineyard Brunello and French-barrel ageing, and bottles this classic Brunello under Italy's first DOCG.
Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.
Brunello di Montalcino is in the DOCG tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.
Brunello di Montalcino falls within Tuscany , covering Comune di Montalcino, Toscana.
Altesino farms over 80 hectares around its Montalcino cellar; estate-grown Brunello fruit costs more than bought-in grapes.
Altesino's sheet holds the wine at least two years in oak plus four months in bottle, years of cellar capital tied up before a bottle is sold.
DOCG was Italy's first quality tier and requires a release tasting; the appellation's 8 tonnes per hectare yield ceiling caps volume and lifts unit cost.
With a stated 20-year-plus cellar life and roughly 52,000 Vivino ratings at 4.2, Altesino carries a premium over generic Tuscan Sangiovese.
UK alcohol duty adds 2.67 pounds per still-wine bottle at or below 15 percent ABV (2026 rates), a fixed slice of the 39 to 53 pound shelf price before VAT.
This is Altesino's standard Brunello, priced below its single-vineyard Montosoli and Riserva, which keeps it the affordable entry to the range.
Dishes that complement this wine
Altesino points this wine at red and roasted meat, noble game and aged cheese. Its firm Sangiovese tannin and lively acidity make bistecca alla fiorentina, brasato and pecorino the natural Tuscan matches.
Sangiovese's firm tannin needs protein and fat to soften. The charred crust and rare interior of a fiorentina bind that tannin while the wine's acidity refreshes each bite.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · Brasato al Barolo · Ossobuco alla Milanese · More pairings →
The full body and 20-year structure of Brunello match long-cooked, sauced dishes. Tannin and acidity cut through the gelatine and concentration of a braise without being overwhelmed.
Try with: Brasato al Barolo · Ossobuco alla Milanese · Venison Stew · More pairings →
Lively Sangiovese acidity slices through the fat of herb-roasted pork, while the savoury tobacco and leather notes echo the crackling and rosemary.
Try with: Porchetta · Roast pork · Lamb shank · More pairings →
The salt and crystalline bite of a mature pecorino are tamed by Brunello's fruit and acidity, a pairing Altesino names directly on its technical sheet.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · Cheese board · Caciocavallo farcito · More pairings →
The underbrush and earthy register the producer flags bridges straight to porcini and truffle, where Sangiovese's red fruit lifts the savoury, forest-floor depth.
Try with: Tagliatelle al tartufo di Acqualagna · Tajarin al Tartufo · Ossobuco alla Milanese · More pairings →
Brunello's tannin and 14 percent warmth amplify chilli heat and turn metallic against delicate raw fish. Save it for savoury meat, not the spice rack or the sushi counter.
Skip with: Vindaloo · Szechuan beef · Sushi · Oysters · Pairing guide →
The producer rates ageing capability at 20 years and more, and the 2019, an outstanding Montalcino vintage, has the structure to use it. After two years in oak it is approachable young but rewards a decade in the cellar.
Peak around 2029. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
DOCG ageing rules plus two years in oak and a stated 20-year capability make this a genuine cellar wine, led by the 2019.
£39.02 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.
Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 30 May 2026, 15:56 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.
Confidence · HighDrawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino and Wine-Searcher, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.
Confidence · MediumFrom the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.
Confidence · HighOur reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.
Confidence · MediumStyle guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.
Confidence · MediumIt is 100% Sangiovese, the Brunello clone grown on Altesino's estate in northern Montalcino. Brunello di Montalcino DOCG must be pure Sangiovese.
Altesino ages it a minimum of two years in oak barrels followed by at least four months in bottle, in line with the Brunello di Montalcino disciplinare.
The producer puts its ageing capability at 20 years and more. The 2019, an outstanding Montalcino vintage, rewards a decade or more in the cellar.
Altesino recommends red and roasted meat, noble game and aged cheese. Bistecca alla fiorentina, brasato and pecorino are classic Tuscan matches for its tannin and acidity.
Expect violet and underbrush over red cherry, tobacco and vanilla, with a dry, warm, velvety palate. Vivino drinkers rate it 4.2 across roughly 52,000 ratings.
Current UK listings cover the 2018, 2019 and 2020 vintages, priced from about 39 to 53 pounds across two retailers.
4 retailers
From
£42.87
Il Poggione
4 retailers
From
£39.24
Fattoria dei Barbi
3 retailers
From
£39.23
3 retailers
From
£44.79
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