Poggio Di Sotto
Poggio di Sotto's Brunello is one of Castelnuovo dell'Abate's most revered Sangiovese, organic vines at 190 to 440 metres below Mount Amiata, aged in Slavonian-oak botti. Expect leather, violet and red cherry over fine, chalky tannins. A cellar wine
A drinker-consensus picture from more than 10,000 Vivino ratings, anchored to the estate's Slavonian-oak ageing and Castelnuovo dell'Abate fruit: leather, violet and red cherry over fine, chalky tannins.
Poggio di Sotto's Castelnuovo dell'Abate fruit opens on dried violet and rose petal over Sangiovese red cherry, then turns earthy with leather, forest floor, tobacco and a curl of woodsmoke. Vivino drinkers reach most often for leather, earth and smoke, and the glass bears that out, lifted by sweet spice and cedar from the long Slavonian-oak botti ageing.
Violet
Black cherry
Cherry
Plum
Tobacco
Forest Floor
Leather
LiquoriceMedium to full bodied at 14 percent, with the fine-grained, chiselled tannins this estate is known for. Vines at 190 to 440 metres on the slopes of Mount Amiata keep the wine vertical and fresh, so cherry, plum and a balsamic, salty-mineral streak run through a structure that critics from Vinous to Wine Advocate rate among the vintage's best.
Long, savoury and saline, closing on licorice, dried herbs and a chalky grip that asks for cellar time rather than an early pour.
This is the estate's flagship village Brunello, the wine all the fruit is declared as before the Riserva is selected out, and it carries a 4.5 average across more than 10,000 Vivino ratings. Built for the long haul, it rewards a decade or more; open a young bottle only with hours of air.
Live UK listings for this Castelnuovo dell'Abate Brunello span recent vintages, with lowest prices from around 164 pounds. Compare retailers and vintages below before you buy.
Scored across six uses: an exceptional food and occasion wine and a serious cellar candidate, but a demanding, high-priced choice for beginners or everyday drinking.
Top-tier Montalcino estate, high classification and high price make this a flagship special-occasion Brunello.
Brunello DOCG ageing plus around 48 months in Slavonian-oak botti and high, fine tannin give two to three decades of cellar life.
Medium to full-bodied Sangiovese with bright acidity and firm tannin, a natural match for grilled red meat, braises and aged cheese.
Austere, tannic and cellar-demanding; rewarding but a demanding first Brunello rather than an easy introduction.
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 vintages shape this wine sharply: 2018 was a cool, difficult year, 2019 a benchmark, 2020 elegant and floral. Each vintage's drink window and character is set out below.
2020 gave Montalcino an elegant, floral and mineral profile rather than sheer power, well suited to Poggio di Sotto's classic style; Gambero Rosso awarded the 2020 a 98. Aromas of rose, violet and crunchy red fruit sit on fine, tactile tannins. Approachable with air now, better with a few years in the cellar.
2019 is a benchmark Brunello vintage, balanced ripening that gave depth with brisk acidity. Critics rate the Poggio di Sotto 2019 among the year's finest (Vinous 96, Wine Advocate 98 plus), with drink windows reaching the 2040s. Built for the cellar; very closed in youth, give it years or hours of air.
2018 was a cool, rainy season in Montalcino with a late, selective hand-harvest, a challenging year across the denomination. Poggio di Sotto's fruit selection and long Slavonian-oak ageing delivered a fresh, silky-tannined, vertical Brunello that drinks earlier than the firmer vintages.
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.
Organic old vines at 190 to 440 metres, yields near 3,000 kilos per hectare, and roughly four years in 30-hectolitre Slavonian-oak botti sit behind the price of this Castelnuovo dell'Abate Brunello.
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.
Poggio di Sotto crops only about 3,000 to 3,500 kilos per hectare from organic old vines at Castelnuovo dell'Abate, a fraction of a high-volume estate, which concentrates cost into every bottle.
The wine ages roughly 48 months in large Slavonian-oak casks plus at least eight months in bottle before release, tying up cellar space and capital for years per the producer.
Steep, high-elevation parcels below Mount Amiata are hand-picked into small crates and selected by hand, far more labour-intensive than mechanised flatland fruit.
Critic scores of 96 to 98 plus for the 2019 from Vinous and Wine Advocate and a 4.5 Vivino average lift this estate's price above the roughly 71 pound Brunello median, to around 164 pounds and up.
At 14 percent ABV the 2026 HMRC still-wine duty is 2.67 pounds a bottle, and 20 percent VAT applies on top; on a 164 pound bottle these taxes are a small share, unlike on a budget wine.
The estate uses neutral large Slavonian botti rather than costly new French barriques, a traditional choice that holds one cost lever down even on a wine this ambitious.
Dishes that complement this wine
Poggio di Sotto's bright acidity and fine, firm tannin point to grilled red meat, slow braises, game and aged pecorino. Each pairing below explains the structural reason it works.
Poggio di Sotto's firm, fine-grained Sangiovese tannins need fat and char to soften. A rare-grilled steak coats the palate so the tannin reads as silk rather than grip, while the wine's acidity cuts the richness.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · Bistecca alla Fiorentina · Tagliata di manzo · Grilled T-bone · More pairings →
Brunello's bright Sangiovese acidity matches the tomato and reduced-stock depth of Tuscan braises. The acid keeps a rich, long-cooked sauce lively rather than heavy, and the wine's savoury, earthy core echoes the slow-cooked meat.
Try with: Brasato al Barolo · Ossobuco alla Milanese · Agnello Ragu Lucano · Lasagna · More pairings →
The wine's forest-floor and leather notes bridge to the gamey, earthy flavours of venison and feathered game, while its acidity and tannin cut through fat. Mount Amiata's cool elevation gives the freshness a roast needs.
Try with: Venison Stew · Roast Pheasant · Duck breast · Wild boar pappardelle · More pairings →
Mature pecorino brings salt and a hard, crystalline texture that the wine's tannin and acidity match weight for weight. The cheese's nutty depth flatters Brunello's tertiary leather and tobacco rather than fighting it.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · Aged pecorino Toscano · Caciotta stagionata · Hard sheep's cheeses · More pairings →
Poggio di Sotto's earthy, sweet-spice aromatics bridge directly to truffle and dried-mushroom flavours. The wine's savoury, balsamic side amplifies the dish's umami while the acidity keeps a creamy risotto from cloying.
Try with: Truffle risotto · Ossobuco alla Milanese · Brasato al Barolo · More pairings →
High alcohol and firm tannin amplify chilli burn and turn astringent against sugary, sour glazes; delicate oily fish and raw shellfish are flattened by the wine's structure. Save this Brunello for savoury, slow-cooked plates instead.
Skip with: Vindaloo · Sweet-and-sour pork · Sushi · Fresh oysters · Thai green curry · Pairing guide →
With Brunello DOCG ageing, high fine tannin and the estate's long botti maturation, top vintages such as 2019 hold and improve for two to three decades; critic windows reach the 2040s.
Peak around 2032. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Brunello DOCG ageing plus around 48 months in Slavonian-oak botti and high, fine tannin give two to three decades of cellar life.
£163.66 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.
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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 percent Sangiovese, the only grape permitted in Brunello di Montalcino DOCG. Poggio di Sotto draws on old vines with many Sangiovese biotypes at Castelnuovo dell'Abate, on the south-eastern slopes of the Montalcino hill.
The wine is fermented spontaneously in truncated conical wooden vats with long, gentle maceration, then aged for roughly 48 months in 30-hectolitre Slavonian-oak botti followed by at least eight months in bottle, all under the estate's organic, traditional approach.
It is built for the cellar and rewards a decade or more. Younger vintages such as 2019 and 2020 benefit from several hours of decanting if opened early; critic drink windows for the 2019 reach into the 2040s.
Pair it with Tuscan grilled red meat such as bistecca alla fiorentina, slow braises and ragu, game and autumn roasts, truffle dishes, and aged pecorino. Its acidity and tannin handle fat and char while its earthy notes bridge to game and mushroom.
It is one of Montalcino's most acclaimed estates, with the 2019 scoring 96 to 98 plus from Vinous, Wine Advocate and others, and a 4.5 average across more than 10,000 Vivino ratings. Live UK prices start around 164 pounds, reflecting its prestige and ageing potential rather than everyday value.
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Il Poggione
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£39.24
Fattoria dei Barbi
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£39.23
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