Complex, wild and energetic with an intellectual array of fresh truffles, bramble berries, bark, cardamom, dried porcini, miso and rosemary. Full-bodied yet agile, with firm, tight tannins and sharp acidity. Powerful and tight. Needs a few years to open. Try after 2025.

A cool and wet growing season in 2018 brings forth a Brunello that speaks with an accent of elegance. Sourced from three vineyard sites near a church dating to 715 AD—aromatics of Mediterranean herbs, thyme, rosemary and tarragon open to floral notes and crushed stone minerality. The palate is lithe, as Brunello goes. Lifted red and blue berry fruits and a melange of chalky minerality and savoury dried herbs mark the finish with freshness. (Drink between 2023-2036)

Pieve Santa Restituta made the hard decision to skip production in the hot and dry 2017 vintage, and thus returns to the market with its 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Rennina. Made with a blend of fruit from three vineyard sites with very different soil profiles, the Rennina maintains its distinct personality with elegant aromas of red fruit, forest berry, cassis, balsam herb and toasted almond. This vintage shows a hint of baked clay or black olive that underlines the warm vintage conditions. The wine is generous in terms of mouthfeel, with a nice fullness that remains graceful at the same time. - ML

Delicate and understated in the glass, the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Rennina whisps up with a pleasantly earthy mix of dried strawberries, roses and clove nuances. This coasts silky textural fruits across a core of brisk acidity and saline-minerals in an untethered Brunello of pure elegance. It finishes with ample tannins, but also remarkably fresh, leaving notes of red plum, mocha and tobacco to linger. This harmonious vintage of Rennina should evolve beautifully in collectors’ cellars. (Drink between 2025-2034) - Eric Guido

The 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino Rennina pours a deep ruby hue, with aromas of cherry lozenge, rosemary, pressed flowers, and turned. It is energetic and has ultra-fine tannins as well as vibrant acidity, with crunchy red fruits and underlying iron-rich mineral notes, dried herbs, and lingering floral perfume. Savory and mouthwatering, with a more classically styled and angular feel, it will drink well 2024-2040.

The 2019 Rennina is slightly less fleshy than Sugarille (also recommended here), yet it shows plenty of depth and excellent ripeness in both its dark cherry fruit and its supple tannins. It has a seamless quality and purity of fruit that will keep the wine fresh and balanced over the next several years.