Fattoria dei Barbi
Fattoria dei Barbi has bottled pure Sangiovese Brunello at Montalcino since the XVI century, grown on marl and alberese limestone at 300 to 500 metres. Two years in oak give a structured, savoury red of red berries, leather and spice. A classic Brune
Pure Sangiovese from marl and alberese limestone at 300 to 500 metres above Montalcino. Brilliant ruby in the glass, with ripe strawberry and raspberry, smoked spice, anise and white pepper that age into leather and tobacco.
Brilliant ruby, opening on ripe strawberry and raspberry, the estate's signature red-fruit profile from Sangiovese on marl and alberese limestone. Lightly smoked spice, anise, heather and white pepper sit behind the fruit. With age the aromatics turn savoury, toward the leather and tobacco that Vivino drinkers most often name.
Cherry
Plum
Raspberry
Strawberry
Tobacco
Leather
Black pepper
LiquoriceStructured, broad and enveloping, carried by the bright acidity and firm tannin that define Montalcino Sangiovese. A slow 16 to 17 day fermentation and two years in oak botti build a savoury frame around ripe red fruit and liquorice. The tannins can show a touch green in youth, as the estate notes, softening with cellar time.
Long and persistent, closing on dried red fruit, smoked spice and a mineral echo of the limestone soils.
A classic, age-worthy Brunello and the estate's benchmark bottling rather than a single-vineyard cru, suited to a five to fifteen year cellar. Vivino's 43,000-plus ratings settle at 4.2, with drinkers consistently praising its traditional, savoury structure and its value at around 40 pounds.
UK listings for this Brunello span roughly 39 to 95 pounds across the 2019 and 2020 vintages, stocked by several retailers. The classico bottling sits well below Barbi's single-vineyard Vigna del Fiore.
A classic, age-worthy Sangiovese at a mid-Brunello price: strong at the table and in the cellar, less suited to everyday pouring.
High-acid, firm-tannin Sangiovese is one of the most food-friendly Italian reds, excelling with red meat, game and aged cheese.
DOCG five-year ageing, 14% ABV, firm tannin and a producer-stated 15 to 50 year capacity put this firmly in long-cellar territory.
A lowest live price near 39 pounds against a typical UK Brunello DOCG midpoint above 50 pounds gives a ratio below 0.85, strong value for the classification.
A prestige DOCG from a sixteenth-century Montalcino estate at a mid-to-upper price point suits special-occasion and gift buying.
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.
Compare tracked offers from verified retailers at a glance. Stock is shown only where the retailer exposes it. Logos, sale pricing, and the strongest offer are surfaced first.
The Consorzio rated both 2020 and 2019 five-star Montalcino vintages. The 2019 is the more classic, structured year; the 2020 is rounder and more succulent, the Consorzio calling it charming, brilliant and succulent.
The Consorzio called 2020 charming, brilliant and succulent, a five-star vintage with riper, rounder fruit than 2019. Floral lift sits over the ripe red-berry core; approachable on release yet built to age.
A classic, structured Montalcino vintage the Consorzio rated five stars. Cooler and more traditional than 2020, the 2019 carries firm tannin and bright acidity built for a decade or more in the cellar.
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.
The Cinelli Colombini family has made Brunello at Montalcino since the 1500s and keeps almost every vintage from 1892 onward in its cellars. Wine Advocate scored the 2015 release 94 points.
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.
Brunello cannot be released until its fifth year; Barbi ages the wine two full years in oak, first small botti then larger casks, plus at least four months in bottle, tying up capital and cellar space long before sale.
Vineyards at 300 to 500 metres around Montalcino held to 65 quintals per hectare cost far more to farm than valley fruit, and the limestone soils drive the wine's structure.
DOCG rules require 100% Sangiovese, so there is no cheaper blending fruit to dilute cost, unlike many Tuscan IGT reds priced well below.
Brunello made at Barbi since the 1500s and a 94-point Wine Advocate score for the 2015 add a brand premium buyers pay toward the roughly 40 pound shelf price.
At 2026 HMRC rates a still wine up to 15% ABV carries about 2.67 pounds duty per bottle, and 20% VAT on a roughly 39 pound price adds about 6.50 pounds before any retailer margin.
This is Barbi's classico Brunello rather than the single-vineyard Vigna del Fiore, which keeps it under 45 pounds while single-vineyard Montalcino runs far higher.
Dishes that complement this wine
Firm tannin and bright acidity make Barbi Brunello a wine for red meat, game and aged cheese, from bistecca alla Fiorentina to wild boar ragu and mature Pecorino.
The firm, ripe tannin of Sangiovese binds the protein and fat of grilled and roasted red meat, softening on the palate while the wine's acidity refreshes each bite. Bistecca alla Fiorentina is the textbook match.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · Brasato al Barolo · Agnello Ragu Lucano · More pairings →
Two years in oak give this Brunello the body and savoury depth to stand beside long-braised dishes, where its acidity cuts the richness of marrow and reduced sauce without being overwhelmed.
Try with: Brasato al Barolo · Ossobuco alla Milanese · More pairings →
Bright Sangiovese acidity slices through the salt and fat of mature hard cheese, while the wine's leather and dried-fruit notes echo the savoury, aged character of a well-matured Pecorino.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · aged Pecorino Toscano · Parmigiano Reggiano · More pairings →
The wine's smoked spice, heather and white pepper bridge to the gamey, herb-scented character of Tuscan game, and its tannin frames the dense texture of slow-cooked wild boar, a pairing the producer recommends.
Try with: Agnello Ragu Lucano · wild boar ragu · venison · More pairings →
Sangiovese acidity mirrors the acidity of a long-cooked tomato and meat ragu, so neither the sauce nor the wine turns sharp, and the tannin holds up against a hearty pasta plate.
Try with: Pici al ragu · pappardelle al cinghiale · tagliatelle al ragù
The firm tannin and savoury structure overwhelm delicate white fish and raw shellfish, and the tannin can read metallic against briny, iodine-rich seafood. Pour a coastal Italian white such as Vermentino instead.
Skip with: raw oysters · sushi · grilled prawns · ceviche · Pairing guide →
The estate gives this wine a 15 to 50 year ageing capacity. Stored on its side at 12 to 14 degrees, the structured 2019 will reward a decade or more, while the riper 2020 drinks a touch earlier.
Peak around 2030. 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 five-year ageing, 14% ABV, firm tannin and a producer-stated 15 to 50 year capacity put this firmly in long-cellar territory.
£39.23 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: 7 Jun 2026, 15:47 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 Montalcino clone known as Brunello. Fattoria dei Barbi grows it on marl and alberese limestone between 300 and 500 metres around Montalcino, and has bottled pure Sangiovese here since the sixteenth century.
The estate gives it a 15 to 50 year cellaring window. The structured 2019 rewards a decade or more from around 2027; the riper, more succulent 2020 opens a little earlier, from about 2026. Both gain from five or more years in bottle.
Reach for roasted and grilled red meat, game and aged cheese. Bistecca alla Fiorentina, brasato al Barolo and lamb ragu all meet its Sangiovese acidity and firm tannin, as do mature Pecorino and other hard cheeses.
After a cold pre-fermentation maceration at 16 degrees, the wine ferments for 16 to 17 days at 27 to 28 degrees, then ages two years in oak, first in small botti, then in larger casks, with at least four months in bottle before its release.
Brilliant ruby, with ripe strawberry and raspberry, smoked spice, anise, heather and white pepper that turn to leather and tobacco with age. The palate is structured and savoury, with bright acidity and firm, ripe tannin. Wine Advocate scored the 2015 release 94 points.
At roughly 39 to 45 pounds a bottle in the UK it sits below many single-vineyard Brunello while carrying the same DOCG five-year ageing, from a producer making Brunello since the sixteenth century. Vivino drinkers rate it 4.2 from more than 43,000 ratings.
4 retailers
From
£42.87
Il Poggione
4 retailers
From
£39.24
3 retailers
From
£44.79
Poggio di Sotto
3 retailers
From
£163.66
Affiliate disclosure. Some links above are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Editorial coverage, ratings and tasting notes are written independently and a retailer cannot pay to be listed or to be ranked higher.
How retailer prices are sourced.
Prices and stock are read from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Outbound buy links carry rel="nofollow sponsored noopener". The list is sorted by price; we do not accept payment for placement.
What we will never do. Imply we tasted a bottle when we didn’t. Imply stock when a retailer is out. Imply independence on links that are paid affiliate links.
Verified retailers
Price comparison
Updated daily
