Gianni Brunelli
Brunello di Montalcino DOCG from the Brunelli family's Le Chiuse di Sotto estate. 100% Sangiovese off galestro and white clay, aged in Slavonian oak botti: intense ruby, wild-berry and leather depth, fine-grained tannin built to cellar a decade.
Drinker consensus on Vivino, 4.3 from over 4,200 ratings, and the estate's own notes agree: intense ruby, red and black wild berry, forest floor and dried violet, carried by leather and savoury, fine-grained tannin.
Intense ruby in the glass, opening on the heather and strawberry-tree florals the estate flags on its 2020 and 2021 sheets. Red cherry and raspberry lead, then a savoury layer of forest floor, dried violet and leather that Vivino drinkers note most across more than 900 reviews.
Violet
Blackberry
Cherry
Plum
Wet stones
Forest Floor
Leather
LiquoriceConcentrated and savoury, true to the producer's own tasting note, with black wild berry and plum over a mineral spine from the galestro and white-clay soils at Podernovone and Montosoli. Total acidity above 6 g/l keeps it fresh, while the fine-grained tannin from 24 to 32 months in Slavonian oak botti is firm but polished.
Long and savoury, closing on liquorice, tobacco and the important mineral note the estate underlines. Built to deepen over a decade.
A classic, traditionally-made Brunello from Le Chiuse di Sotto that Vivino rates 4.3 across more than 4,200 ratings and treats as strong value for the appellation. One for Sunday roasts and cellaring, not early casual drinking; the 2021 in particular rewards patience.
A fine-wine Brunello with thin UK distribution: the current 2020 and 2021 vintages sell through a handful of specialist merchants, so checking live stock before you buy matters.
A traditional, botte-aged Brunello: strong at the table and in the cellar, and priced as the special-occasion bottle it is at around £85.
Succulent acidity and fine tannin make it a classic match for red meat, game and aged Tuscan cheese.
A prestigious Brunello di Montalcino DOCG at around £85, made for Sunday roasts, celebrations and gifting.
Five years of mandated ageing, 24 to 32 months in Slavonian oak and firm tannin give a decade-plus cellar life, into the 2040s for 2021.
At about £85 it sits near the Brunello median, and Vivino drinkers rate it 4.3 and strong value for a traditional, botte-aged Montalcino.
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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The Consorzio rated 2020 four stars and 2021 five. The estate bottled the 2020 after 24 to 30 months in Slavonian oak botti and held the 2021 a full 32 months before release.
A five-star Consorzio vintage with warm days and cool nights that built a complex, fresh wine the estate held 32 months in cask. The longest-aged of the two, it asks for cellar time and should drink well into the 2040s.
A warm 2020 the estate balanced through careful canopy work, giving ripe wild-berry fruit with freshness and integrity. The Consorzio rated it four stars; aged 24 to 30 months in Slavonian oak, it is approachable now but will hold.
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 Brunelli vineyards run from cool, north-facing Le Chiuse di Sotto near Montosoli to warmer, south-west Podernovone, hand-harvested at 4,500 vines per hectare and raised only in Slavonian oak casks.
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.
Two-site fruit, hand-picked at 4,500 vines per hectare on poor galestro and white-clay soils, caps yields and lifts cost well above generic Tuscan red.
Brunello DOCG demands about five years before release; Le Chiuse di Sotto holds 24 to 30 months for 2020 and a full 32 for 2021 in cask, tying up stock for years.
Just 16,907 bottles of 2020 and 15,715 of 2021, bottled unfiltered, keep it scarce against fine-wine demand from merchants like Lay & Wheeler and Farr Vintners.
Brunello di Montalcino vineyard land is among Italy's priciest, and mandatory release-tasting certification adds overhead a Rosso or IGT never carries.
UK excise at £2.67 a bottle plus 20% VAT adds roughly £17 to an £85 shelf price before the merchant takes any margin.
Sold through a handful of specialist merchants rather than at volume, so there is no supermarket buying power to pull the price down.
Dishes that complement this wine
Built on succulent acidity and fine tannin, this Sangiovese cuts the fat of bistecca alla fiorentina and stands up to game. Vivino drinkers reach most for beef, lamb and venison.
Fine but firm tannin and bright acidity cut the fat and char of a Florentine T-bone, the textbook Tuscan pairing. The wine's savoury depth meets the seared crust rather than fighting it.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · Ribeye steak · Fillet steak · More pairings →
Sangiovese's succulent acidity, measured above 6 g/l here, mirrors the acidity of tomato and keeps a rich ragu from cloying. It is the structural reason Brunello sits so naturally with central-Italian cooking.
Try with: Brasato al Barolo · Agnello Ragu Lucano · Ossobuco alla Milanese · More pairings →
The wine's concentrated body and forest-floor savour stand up to gamey, iron-rich meat without being overwhelmed. Vivino drinkers most often reach for it with venison and duck.
Try with: Venison Stew · Roast Duck · Duck breast · More pairings →
The forest-floor and dried-violet aromatics the estate flags bridge straight to earthy porcini and truffle, echoing rather than masking them. Acidity keeps a creamy risotto fresh.
Try with: Porcini mushroom risotto · Truffle risotto · More pairings →
Firm tannin and acidity balance the salt and fat of a mature Tuscan pecorino, refreshing the palate between bites. A classic Montalcino board match.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · Pecorino Toscano · Aged Parmigiano · More pairings →
Alcohol near 14% and firm tannin amplify chilli burn and clash with sugar, so fiery or sweet-glazed dishes flatten the fruit and turn the tannin harsh. Keep this Brunello away from heat and cloying sauces.
Skip with: Vindaloo · Sweet and sour pork · Szechuan beef · Sushi · Pairing guide →
Unfiltered, with 29.6 g/l dry extract and total acidity above 6 g/l in 2020, this is built for the long haul. The 2021, held 32 months in cask, should reward patience into the 2040s.
Peak around 2033. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Five years of mandated ageing, 24 to 32 months in Slavonian oak and firm tannin give a decade-plus cellar life, into the 2040s for 2021.
£82.56 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, 14:18 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 only grape permitted in Brunello di Montalcino DOCG. Le Chiuse di Sotto draws it from vineyards at Podernovone in the south and near Montosoli in the cooler north of the zone.
Comfortably 10 to 20 years from a good vintage. The 2020 drinks well from 2026, while the five-star 2021, held 32 months in Slavonian oak, should reward cellaring into the 2040s.
Classic Tuscan red-meat dishes: bistecca alla fiorentina, braised beef, lamb ragu, game and aged pecorino. Its succulent acidity and fine tannin handle fat and char without overwhelming the plate.
For the appellation, yes. At around £85 it sits near the Brunello median, and Vivino drinkers rate it 4.3 from over 4,200 ratings, treating it as strong value for a traditional Montalcino estate.
The 2020 is a warm, four-star vintage aged 24 to 30 months in cask and more approachable young. The 2021 is a five-star vintage held 32 months, more structured and built for longer ageing.
It is bottled unfiltered, so a little sediment is normal and a gentle decant helps. Both the 2020 and 2021 are 14% alcohol with total acidity above 6 g/l.
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Il Poggione
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