Col d'Orcia Brunello di Montalcino
Tenuta Col D’Orcia
- Grape
- Sangiovese
- Denomination
- Brunello di Montalcino DOCG
- Region
- Tuscany
- ABV
- 14.5%
- Body
- Medium to full
- Drink
- 2028 to 2038
The estate Brunello of Montalcino's third-largest producer, organic since 2010: 100% Sangiovese aged four years, thirty months of it in big oak. Cherry, leather and tobacco at 14.5%, rated 4.1 by 55,583 Vivino tasters. In stock from £32.93.
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Where to buy Col d'Orcia Brunello di Montalcino
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Cherry, oak and leather: what 7,867 Vivino tasters find in Col d'Orcia's Brunello
The crowd picture is consistent: oak, tobacco and vanilla, then leather and earth, then cherry and raspberry, across 7,867 Vivino reviews. The 2021 adds the floral, peachy lift Col d'Orcia describes for the vintage, over the chalky tannins of a five-star year.
- Tasted by
- ItalianWines editorial
- Tasted on
- 14 September 2026
- Source
- Drinker consensus · confidence Medium
- Taste profile
Cherry and raspberry with oak, tobacco and leather: those are the notes Vivino's 7,867 reviewers mention most for Col d'Orcia's Brunello, with plum, liquorice and a violet edge behind. The 2021 leans more floral, Col d'Orcia says of the vintage, with peach and crisp red cherry.
Full and structured, with ripe tannins that four years of ageing, thirty months of it in big Slavonian and French oak casks, have softened rather than sweetened. At 14.5% the fruit is ripe but the acidity holds it up. Wine Enthusiast's note on the 2020 adds strawberry, orange peel and wild fennel.
Long and savoury, with the liquorice and tobacco Vivino's tasters keep mentioning. In the 2021 there is a dry grip that Col d'Orcia describes as chalky to sandy.
The estate Brunello of Montalcino's third-largest producer, organic since 2010, rated 4.1 out of 5 across 55,583 Vivino ratings with a Wine-Searcher critic average of 92 out of 100. Wine Enthusiast, tasting the 2020, says it could still be considered underappreciated for the price. At £33 to £42 in the UK it is one of the safer Brunello buys; the 2021 wants until about 2028.
What £33 to £42 buys in Col d'Orcia's Brunello
Wine-Searcher puts the global average for this wine at about 80 euros before tax, and the UK offers sit well under it: the 2019 at £32.93 and the 2021 from £39, both in stock. A 2021 magnum is listed at £80. The 2020 and the 2016 are sold out at the shops we track.
How Col d'Orcia's Brunello scores for the cellar and the table
Top marks for the cellar and for an occasion, high for food, and better value than most Brunello at £33 to £42. Low for everyday drinking and middling for beginners: 14.5% and firm tannins reward patience and a plate of meat.
Brunello DOCG rules mean four years' ageing before release, and Vinous puts the 2021's window at 2028 to 2038. Vivino rates the estate's 1988 at 4.5.
DOCG Brunello from Montalcino's third-largest producer, from five-star years, with critics at 92 to 94 points: a safe bottle to bring out for a celebration.
Full body, firm tannins and savoury depth: made for steak, braises, game and hard cheese, less useful with light or spicy food.
UK prices of £32.93 to £42.20 sit well under Wine-Searcher's global average of about 80 euros before tax, and the 2019 carries 93 and 94-point scores from six critics.
A serious, tannic 14.5% red that needs food and, for the 2021, a few years' patience: rewarding, but not a first Italian red.
At £33 or more and 14.5%, this is a bottle for a proper dinner, not a Tuesday.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our Wine Fit Score methodology.
Brunello di Montalcino in five fields
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.
2016 to 2021: four Col d'Orcia vintages and how they compare
The vintage chart gives 2016 and 2019 five stars plus, 2021 five stars and 2020 four. The 2021 is the tighter, longer-lived wine, cut by April frost and a dry summer; the 2020 is the rounder one to open first.
- Best price
- £37.50
- Retailers
- 3 in stock
- ABV
- 14.5%
- Window
- Ready from 2028 to 2038
Frost on 8 April and a long dry summer marked the year, Col d'Orcia says, but June-to-August rain ran slightly above average and the heat never lasted. The vintage chart puts the harvest about 15 per cent below 2020 and gives the year five stars. A panel of Masters of Wine brought in by the Brunello consortium called the 2021s fragrant, defined and vertical. Vinous puts the drinking window at 2028 to 2038.
- Best price
- not listed
- Retailers
- 0 in stock
- Window
- Drink now through 2036
A four-star year on the Italy's Finest Wines chart: a warm, sunny summer and an early harvest gave round, balanced Brunellos with prominent tannins, ready sooner than the 2019 or 2021. Wine Enthusiast found strawberries, raspberries, orange peel and wild fennel in Col d'Orcia's 2020.
- Best price
- £32.93
- Retailers
- 1 in stock
- ABV
- 14.5%
- Window
- Drink now through 2039
Five stars plus on the vintage chart: spring rain filled the soils before a moderately hot, dry summer, and the grapes reached the cellar perfectly ripe. Col d'Orcia's 2019 scored 94 from Wine Advocate, Decanter and Wine Spectator and 93 from Vinous and James Suckling.
- Best price
- £61.00
- Retailers
- 1 in stock
- Window
- Drink now through 2041
Five stars plus on the vintage chart: regular rain into spring, July rain to balance a hot July and August, and a long, dry September harvest. The chart describes ripe, enveloping tannins and wines built to live for decades. The one UK shop we track lists Col d'Orcia's 2016 as sold out.
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.
Perfect Pairings
Dishes that go with this wine
Steak, braises and aged pecorino: food for a structured Brunello
Full body, firm tannins and savoury depth call for meat with fat and time in it. The tech sheet on Xtrawine's listing suggests game and mature cheeses; a bistecca alla fiorentina is the local answer.
Bistecca alla fiorentina and grilled beef
Fat and char in a thick T-bone soften Brunello's tannins, and the wine's cherry and leather flavours stand up to the smoke. It is the Tuscan pairing the estate's own hills are known for.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · Brasato al Barolo · Bollito dei Pastori · Ribeye steak · More pairings →
Slow-cooked game and braises
A full-bodied 14.5% Brunello matches the weight of braised beef, boar or venison, and its liquorice and tobacco notes meet the deep flavours of a long cook. The tech sheet on Xtrawine's listing names game as the ideal match.
Try with: Brasato al Barolo · Spezzatino di pecora · Carbonade · Venison Stew · More pairings →
Roast lamb, pork and rich roasts
Brunello's acidity cuts through the fat of roast lamb or porchetta, and its ripe tannins grip the meat rather than the mouth. A Sunday roast is the easiest way in.
Try with: Porchetta · Agnello Ragu Lucano · Arrosticini · Roast Lamb with Mint Sauce · More pairings →
Aged pecorino and hard cheeses
Salt and age in a hard cheese round out the tannins and bring out the cherry fruit. That is why the tech sheet on Xtrawine's listing pairs this Brunello with mature cheeses, and aged pecorino is the Tuscan choice.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · Caciocavallo farcito · Frico · Strong cheddar cheese · More pairings →
Truffle, mushrooms and earthy pasta
The leather and earthy notes Vivino's tasters find in this Brunello echo truffle and porcini. A plate of tagliatelle al tartufo or a mushroom risotto makes the wine taste rounder.
Try with: Tagliatelle al tartufo di Acqualagna · Porcini mushroom risotto · Tajarin al Tartufo · Truffle risotto · More pairings →
Skip spicy food, oily fish and light salads
Chilli makes 14.5% alcohol and firm tannins taste hot and bitter, oily fish turns the tannins metallic, and a light salad is simply crushed by the wine. Save Brunello for meat, game and hard cheese.
Skip with: Chicken madras · Szechuan beef · Sashimi · Insalata Caprese · Salmon · Pairing guide →
Cellaring Col d'Orcia: the 2021 wants until 2028
Vinous gives the 2021 a window of 2028 to 2038, and the estate's old vintages show how far its Brunello goes: Vivino rates the 1988 at 4.5 and the 1990 at 4.3. Lay the 2021 down and open the 2019 first.
Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Aim for the cooler end on a warm day; warmer end opens up more aromatics.
Brunello DOCG rules mean four years' ageing before release, and Vinous puts the 2021's window at 2028 to 2038. Vivino rates the estate's 1988 at 4.5.
£32.93 for a 75cl bottle of the 2019, at 8wines, is the best price we track, and we have no signal of further discounting.
Where the Col d'Orcia Brunello facts come from
Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 27 Sep 2026, 02:16 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 · MediumSangiovese, Montalcino and the Marone Cinzano estate: what links to this bottle
Common Questions
Yes, by every public measure. Vivino's crowd rates it 4.1 out of 5 across 55,583 ratings, Wine-Searcher's critic average is 92 out of 100 from 229 reviews, and the 2019 scored 94 from Wine Advocate, Decanter and Wine Spectator.
The 2021 wants until about 2028 and will hold to 2038, according to Vinous. The 2020 is the more approachable vintage to open first. Older Col d'Orcia Brunellos age for decades: Vivino rates the 1988 at 4.5 and the 1990 at 4.3.
The 2019 is the value pick at £32.93: a five-star-plus year on the vintage chart with 93 and 94-point critic scores. The 2021 is the one to cellar, a five-star year with firmer tannins. The 2020 is the softest of the three for drinking now.
Cherry and raspberry with oak, tobacco and leather, then plum, liquorice and a violet note, which is how 7,867 Vivino reviewers describe it. It is full-bodied at 14.5% with ripe but firm tannins and a long, savoury finish.
Yes. The whole estate, 520 hectares with 150 of them under vine, has been farmed organically since 2010, and Wine-Searcher lists the Brunello as certified organic. In 2026 Wine Enthusiast named Col d'Orcia its Environmental Advocate of the Year.
Steak, braised or roast meat, game and hard cheese. The tech sheet on Xtrawine's listing suggests game and mature cheeses. A bistecca alla fiorentina, a brasato or an aged pecorino are the Tuscan matches.
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