DOCG Red

Brunello di Montalcino Ridolfi

Ridolfi
Grape
Sangiovese
Denomination
Brunello di Montalcino DOCG
Region
Tuscany
ABV
14.5%
Drink
Now to 2038

Ridolfi's classic Brunello: 100% Sangiovese from the cooler north-east slope of Montalcino, three years in big Slavonian casks. Cherry, violet and tobacco over firm, salty tannins. Four vintages, 2016 to 2019, from £46 a bottle in the UK.

Best price
£59.85

2016 · 75cl · checked 25 Oct · Delivery £9.99, or £14.99 for 3+ bottles, free on 3 bottles

Field & Fawcett logo Buy at Field & Fawcett Compare 6 offers
Vintages 2019 2018 2017 2016

Prices read daily from 3 UK retailers. We earn a commission on some links; it never changes the order.

Where to buy Ridolfi Brunello di Montalcino

£59.85 best price · 2 retailers in stock · checked 25 Oct 2026

Stock is shown where the retailer publishes it, offers are sorted by price, and unavailable offers can’t be clicked.

Corney & Barrow Best price 2017 · Case of 6 · £276.82 for the case · checked 25 Oct · Free delivery
Read from the retailer's page once a day. Confidence is low, so treat it as a guide and confirm at the retailer.
£46.14 a bottle · £61.51/L
Buy
Corney & Barrow Best price 2019 · Case of 6 · £299.70 for the case · checked 25 Oct · Free delivery
Read from the retailer's page once a day. Confidence is low, so treat it as a guide and confirm at the retailer.
£49.95 a bottle · £66.60/L
Buy
Corney & Barrow Best price 2018 · Case of 6 · £299.70 for the case · checked 25 Oct · Free delivery
Read from the retailer's page once a day. Confidence is low, so treat it as a guide and confirm at the retailer.
£49.95 a bottle · £66.60/L
Buy
Field & Fawcett Best price 2016 · 75cl · checked 25 Oct · Delivery £9.99, or £14.99 for 3+ bottles, free on 3 bottles
Read from the retailer's page once a day. Confidence is low, so treat it as a guide and confirm at the retailer.
£59.85 £79.80/L
Buy
Corney & Barrow Best price 2019 · Magnum 150cl · checked 25 Oct · Delivery £12.50, free on 2 bottles
Read from the retailer's page once a day. Confidence is low, so treat it as a guide and confirm at the retailer.
£121.73 £81.15/L
Buy
Corney & Barrow Best price 2017 · Magnum 150cl · checked 25 Oct · Delivery £12.50, free on 2 bottles
Read from the retailer's page once a day. Confidence is low, so treat it as a guide and confirm at the retailer.
£139.72 £93.14/L
Buy
Unavailable (1)
Hedonism Wines Best price 2017 · 75cl · checked 25 Oct · Delivery from £8.95, free on 6 bottles
Out of stock
£50.00 £66.67/L
Out of stock

Stock status is read from each retailer’s page once a day and may lag. Case and magnum listings show a per-bottle or per-litre equivalent and sit outside the best-price figure.

Tasting Notes

What Ridolfi Brunello di Montalcino tastes like

Dark berries, cherry, violet and sweet spice, as Ridolfi's own sheet has it. In the glass, red fruit leads, then leather and forest floor, then the tobacco and vanilla that come from three years in big oak casks.

Tasted by
ItalianWines editorial
Tasted on
5 September 2026
Source
Drinker consensus · confidence Medium
Typical of Sangiovese
Body Light / Full
Tannins Smooth / Grippy
Sweetness Dry / Sweet
Acidity Soft / Crisp
Nose

Dark berries and cherry, violet and sweet spice, with a balsamic edge. Red fruit leads, cherry and raspberry, then leather and forest floor. The 2019 adds tobacco leaf and bitter chocolate; the 2018 leans to anise, fennel and sage.

VioletViolet
BlackberryBlackberry
CherryCherry
RaspberryRaspberry
TobaccoTobacco
Forest FloorForest Floor
LeatherLeather
LiquoriceLiquorice
CocoaCocoa
Palate

Full-bodied but not heavy: 14% alcohol, or 14.5% in the riper 2019. The acidity is fresh and the tannins are firm and, in the producer's own word, salty. Up to 60 days on the skins in steel tanks and three years in big old casks give grip without any new-oak sweetness. The 2017 and 2018 are softer and rounder; the 2016 and 2019 are tighter and built to keep.

Finish

Long and savoury, with tar and dried herbs, and in the 2019 a peppery, citrus edge. The tannins hold on after the fruit fades.

Overall

This is the estate's classic Brunello, the most affordable of its four, from 13.5 hectares (about 19 football pitches) on the cooler north-east slope. Drink the 2017 and 2018 now to 2031 with red meat; cellar the 2016 and 2019 to the mid 2030s. Drinkers like it year after year for its purity of fruit; the one recurring tip is to give it half an hour in a decanter.

Drink now Best by 2036
Live UK pricing

Where to buy Ridolfi Brunello in the UK, and which year

Corney & Barrow imports Ridolfi exclusively and sells the 2017, 2018 and 2019 at £46.14 to £62.85 a bottle; the 2017 and 2019 prices are per bottle in a case of six. Field & Fawcett in York has the 2016 at £59.85. Buy the 2018 to drink now and the 2019 to keep.

Best price · 75 cl · 2016 £59.85 at Field & Fawcett
75cl · 2016 available from Field & Fawcett £59.85, in stock
Vintages live 2019 · 2018 · 2017 Current release: 2019
Per-litre (75cl · 2016 basis) £79.80 Lowest current 75cl · 2016 offer
Last checked 25 Oct 2026 Refreshed once every 24 hours
Other vintages and formats: 5 price lines

Case of 6 · 2017: £46.14 per bottle, 1 UK retailer

Case of 6 · 2018: £49.95 per bottle, 1 UK retailer

Case of 6 · 2019: £49.95 per bottle, 1 UK retailer

Magnum 150cl · 2017: £139.72, 1 UK retailer

Magnum 150cl · 2019: £121.73, 1 UK retailer

Wine fit score

How Ridolfi Brunello fits your table, your cellar and your budget

High for food and cellar, low for everyday: this is a £46 to £63 red that wants a proper meal and a decanter. Value holds up because critics score it 92 to 94 points while the price sits below the average for the Brunellos listed on this site.

Best with food 9.0/10

Fresh Sangiovese acidity and firm, salty tannins were made for red meat, game and hard cheese, the three pairings on Ridolfi's own sheet.

Best for cellar 8.5/10

Three years in cask before release, 14 to 14.5% alcohol and firm tannins: the 2019 has a window to 2036.

Best for an occasion 8.5/10

Brunello di Montalcino carries the name, and Ridolfi carries Tre Bicchieri and Gambero Rosso's Emerging Winery 2021 award.

Best value 7.4/10

At £46 to £63 a bottle it sits below the average price of the Brunellos listed on this site, with 92 to 94 points from three leading critics, Decanter among them.

Best intro to this style 4.5/10

A firm, 14% red that wants a decanter and a proper meal; the softer 2018 is the friendliest place to start.

Best everyday bottle 2.0/10

At £46 or more a bottle, and best after half an hour of air, this is a weekend wine rather than a Tuesday one.

Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our Wine Fit Score methodology.

Denomination Compliance Snapshot

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.

Allowed grapes
1 varieties listed
This bottle: Sangiovese.
Minimum ageing
48 months minimum
Of which 24 months in oak.
Region / area
Comune di Montalcino, Toscana
Source: Editorial.
Style
DOCG · Brunello di Montalcino
Minimum ABV at this colour: 12.5%.
Classification
DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita)
What that means →
Vintages

Ridolfi Brunello 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 compared

The Consorzio del Brunello rated 2016 and 2019 five stars and 2017 and 2018 four. Alcohol is 14% for 2016 to 2018 and 14.5% for the riper 2019. The estate sits on the north-east slope, the cooler side of the hill.

2019 Current release
Best price
£49.95 a bottle, by the case of 6
Retailers
2 in stock
ABV
14.5%
Window
Drink now through 2038

Five stars from the Consorzio del Brunello, its top mark. Ridolfi picked between late September and early October and gave the wine 40 days on the skins; at 14.5% it is the ripest of the four and the firmest. Corney & Barrow's window runs 2026 to 2036, and Wine Review Online says it can age for two decades.

2018 Previous release
Best price
£49.95 a bottle, by the case of 6
Retailers
1 in stock
ABV
14.0%
Window
Drink now through 2032

Four stars in the official vintage rating. Jancis Robinson's team called 2018 a challenging Brunello year to enjoy young, yet Ridolfi's scored well: Wine Enthusiast 94, Decanter 94, James Suckling 93. Corney & Barrow finds tar, roses and a herbal edge, and gives a 2023 to 2031 window, so this is the lighter, ready-now vintage.

2017 Previous release
Best price
£46.14 a bottle, by the case of 6
Retailers
2 in stock
ABV
14.0%
Window
Drink now through 2031

Four stars in the official vintage rating. This is the ripe, open one. Vinous found crushed raspberry, cherry sauce, tobacco and tomato leaf and called it soft and pure (89 points). Corney & Barrow notes an easy sweetness of fruit with tar and dried herbs on the finish. Drink now to 2031, and expect less grip than the 2016 or 2019.

2016 Previous release
Best price
£59.85
Retailers
1 in stock
ABV
14.0%
Window
Drink now through 2036

Five stars from the Consorzio and the critics' favourite: a Decanter World Wine Awards Gold at 95 points, and Wine Enthusiast (92) found menthol, forest floor, tobacco and a salty mineral note. On Vivino the 2016 sits among the top 1% of all wines, with 789 ratings at 4.2. Drinking now and good to the mid 2030s.

2019 Current release
Best price
£49.95 a bottle, by the case of 6
Retailers
2 in stock
ABV
14.5%
Window
Drink now through 2038

Five stars from the Consorzio del Brunello, its top mark. Ridolfi picked between late September and early October and gave the wine 40 days on the skins; at 14.5% it is the ripest of the four and the firmest. Corney & Barrow's window runs 2026 to 2036, and Wine Review Online says it can age for two decades.

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 disciplinare, the place, the label

What the critics and guides say about Ridolfi Brunello

Gambero Rosso named Ridolfi its Emerging Winery of 2021 and gave the 2015 Brunello Tre Bicchieri. The 2018 scored 94 points with two leading critics, the 2019 93, and the 2016 won Gold with 95 points at a major international wine competition. In Italy the 2019 was tagged a Best Buy.

01

DOC, DOCG, IGT: what the badges mean

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.

02

The denomination rules, in detail

  • Allowed grapes. 1 varieties listed in the disciplinare
  • Yield ceiling. 8.0 tonnes per hectare
  • Minimum ABV. 12.5% vol
  • Minimum ageing. 48 months total (of which 24 in oak)
  • Tasting panel. Mandatory pre-release tasting commission
03

Region and area context

Brunello di Montalcino falls within Tuscany, covering Comune di Montalcino, Toscana.

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG zone The producer Wine route in the zone

Made at Ridolfi, Montalcino. Directions

Wine route in the zone: Brunello and Rosso loop.

04

Reading the label

  • RidolfiProducer / estate
  • SangioveseGrape varieties
  • Brunello di Montalcino DOCGGeographic indication and quality tier
  • 2019Vintage (year of harvest)
  • 14.5% volAlcohol by volume
05

What sits behind the price of Ridolfi Brunello di Montalcino

Tracked from
£59.85
Direction
Mostly cost up
Drivers
5 up / 1 down
Main factor
Four years of ageing before release
  1. 01

    Four years of ageing before release

    Cost up

    Ridolfi keeps this Brunello 36 months in large Slavonian oak casks and at least 12 months in bottle, so the 2019 only reached shops in 2024. Money tied up for four years is built into every bottle's price.

  2. 02

    A small, hand-worked estate

    Cost up

    13.5 hectares of Brunello vines (about 19 football pitches), picked by hand in small crates, with three green harvests a season and organic farming. WineNews puts the 2019 at 62,000 bottles.

  3. 03

    One exclusive UK importer

    Cost up

    Corney & Barrow sells Ridolfi as one of its exclusive wines, so few UK shops compete on price. Its 2018 is £49.95 a bottle; the 2017 and 2019 are £46.14 and £62.85 per bottle in a six-bottle case.

  4. 04

    Scores and awards add a premium

    Cost up

    Gambero Rosso's Emerging Winery 2021 and Tre Bicchieri for the 2015, plus two 94-point scores for the 2018, keep Ridolfi in demand among Brunello buyers.

  5. 05

    UK duty and VAT on a 14% wine

    Cost up

    Duty on a 75cl bottle at 14% is about £3.21 (£3.33 at 14.5% for the 2019), and VAT is 20% of the shelf price: about £8.33 on the £49.95 2018. Around £11.50 of that bottle is tax.

  6. 06

    The estate's entry Brunello, not the Riserva

    Cost down

    Ridolfi makes four Brunellos. This is the one it makes most of, aged in big old casks rather than the small new barrels used for the Donna Rebecca. A Riserva must age at least a year longer by law, so this annata is the estate's everyday Brunello.

01

Four years of ageing before release

Cost up

Ridolfi keeps this Brunello 36 months in large Slavonian oak casks and at least 12 months in bottle, so the 2019 only reached shops in 2024. Money tied up for four years is built into every bottle's price.

Perfect Pairings

Dishes that go with this wine

Fiorentina steak, plated

Fiorentina steak
Cheese board, plated

Cheese board
Food Pairing

What to eat with Ridolfi Brunello

Ridolfi's own sheet says juicy red meat, game and hard cheese. The firm, salty tannins want protein and fat: a Fiorentina steak, a Sunday roast or a venison stew. Keep it away from chilli heat, which makes 14% alcohol taste hot.

Tannin softening Strong match

Steak and slow-cooked beef

Ridolfi's tannins are firm and, in the estate's own word, salty. Beef protein and fat grab those tannins and soften them, so the wine turns silky and the meat tastes sweeter. The producer's own sheet puts juicy red meat first.

Try with: Fiorentina steak · Brasato al Barolo · Ragu alla bolognese · Ribeye steak · More pairings →

Acidity matching Strong match

The Sunday roast

Sangiovese keeps its fresh acidity even at 14%, and that acidity cuts through roast fat, gravy and crisp potatoes. The cherry and tobacco notes sit naturally beside roast beef or lamb. The 2018 is the succulent one, which is what a roast needs.

Try with: Sunday Roast Beef · Roast Lamb with Mint Sauce · Leg of lamb · More pairings →

Aromatic bridge Good match

Mushrooms and truffle

Leather and forest floor run right through this wine. Porcini and truffle share that earthy smell, so the plate and the glass echo each other. Three years in big casks add a savoury depth that a mushroom risotto matches without any meat.

Try with: Porcini mushroom risotto · Tagliatelle al tartufo di Acqualagna · Truffle risotto · More pairings →

Body matching Good match

Game and venison

Ridolfi lists game on its own sheet. Venison and pheasant have deep, slightly sweet flesh that stands up to a full-bodied Brunello. The dried-herb and tar notes in the 2017 suit a slow game stew.

Try with: Venison Stew · Roast Pheasant · Roast Duck · More pairings →

Salt balance Good match

Hard, aged cheese

Hard cheese is the third pairing on Ridolfi's sheet. Salt in aged pecorino softens the firm tannins, and the cheese's fat rounds the wine out. Keep to hard, aged cheeses; soft or blue cheeses fight the tannin.

Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · Cheese board

Avoid Clash

Chilli heat and sweet-and-sour sauces

Chilli makes 14% alcohol taste hot and bitter, and it strips the cherry fruit away. Sweet sauces make a dry Brunello taste sour by comparison. Save this bottle for savoury food.

Skip with: Crispy chilli beef · Szechuan beef · Sweet and sour pork · Pairing guide →

Drinking + cellar

Is Ridolfi Brunello worth keeping in the cellar?

Yes, on the evidence. The 2019 has a window to 2036 and could age for another two decades. The 2016, a five-star year, is drinking now with years still ahead of it.

Drinking window
2026 → 2038

Peak around 2031. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.

Decanting
1 hour

A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.

Serving temperature
16-18°C

Aim for the cooler end on a warm day; warmer end opens up more aromatics.

Cellar potential
High

Three years in cask before release, 14 to 14.5% alcohol and firm tannins: the 2019 has a window to 2036.

Buy now or wait?
Buy now

£59.85 for a 75cl bottle of the 2016, at Field & Fawcett, is the best price we track, and we have no signal of further discounting.

Sources & trust

Sources for this Ridolfi Brunello page: producer, Consorzio and critics

Prices & stock

Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 25 Oct 2026, 02:33 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.

Confidence · High
Tasting notes

Drawn from published drinker ratings, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.

Confidence · Medium
Appellation rules & ageing

From the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.

Confidence · High
Why it costs what it costs

Our 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 · Medium
Drink window & cellar potential

Style guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.

Confidence · Medium
Related

Ridolfi Brunello: the grape, the appellation, the estate

Producer
Ridolfi Tuscany
Grapes
Sangiovese
Denomination
Brunello di Montalcino DOCG
Region
Tuscany Region guide
Cuisine
Italian Cuisine 1 dishes paired International Cuisine 1 dishes paired

Common Questions

It is 100% Sangiovese, as every Brunello di Montalcino must be. Ridolfi grows it on the north-east slope of the Montalcino hill at 300 metres, on clay soils with marine fossils, and picks by hand in late September or early October.

About four years. The estate keeps it 36 months in large Slavonian oak casks, then at least 12 months in bottle, so the 2019 reached shops in 2024. Brunello rules demand two years in wood and four years in total before sale; Ridolfi gives it three in wood.

For keeping, the 2019 or the 2016: the Consorzio del Brunello gave both five stars, its top mark. For drinking now, the 2018 is the lightest and the 2017 is ripe and open. In the UK the 2017 is £46.14, the 2018 £49.95 and the 2019 £62.85 a bottle at Corney & Barrow; Field & Fawcett has the 2016 at £59.85.

Ten to fifteen years from the vintage is a safe guide. The 2019 has a window of 2026 to 2036 and the 2017 and 2018 run to 2031; a well-kept 2019 could go another two decades. Give any of them half an hour in a decanter first.

The Ridolfi estate at Mercatali, on the north side of Montalcino, owned since 2011 by Giuseppe Valter Peretti. Gianni Maccari has run the winemaking since 2014 after 14 years at Poggio di Sotto. Gambero Rosso named Ridolfi its Emerging Winery for 2021 and gave the 2015 Brunello Tre Bicchieri.

Ridolfi farms its vineyards to organic principles and shows an organic certification on its website. The UK importer labels the wine vegan. Check the label of the vintage you buy, because certification wording can change from year to year.

You May Also Appreciate

Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva

Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva

Brunello di Montalcino

8 retailers

£406.00

+ delivery

View Wine
Gaja Pieve Santa Restituta

Gaja Pieve Santa Restituta

Brunello di Montalcino

8 retailers

£58.00

+ delivery

View Wine
Frescobaldi Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino SAVE -15%

Frescobaldi Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino

Brunello di Montalcino

8 retailers

£37.00

£43.53

+ delivery

View Wine
Antinori Pian delle Vigne Brunello di Montalcino

Antinori Pian delle Vigne Brunello di Montalcino

Brunello di Montalcino

7 retailers

£53.00

+ delivery

View Wine

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.

Ridolfi Brunello di Montalcino
Check Availability