Castello Banfi - Brunello di Montalcino
94 points - The Wine Advocate
93 points - The Wine Advocate
91 points - The Wine Advocate
92 points - The Wine Advocate
91 points - The Wine Advocate
92 points - The Wine Advocate
Castello Banfi - Brunello di Montalcino
94 points - The Wine Advocate
93 points - The Wine Advocate
91 points - The Wine Advocate
92 points - The Wine Advocate
91 points - The Wine Advocate
92 points - The Wine Advocate
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The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino offers clean and pristine fruit and otherwise delivers a textbook interpretation of the vintage.
Given the large extension of vineyards farmed by this estate, which is located on the southern side of the appellation, and the deft technological approach employed in the winery, you can count on Castello Banfi to offer an authentic read of any of their wines about to hit the market or that have been aged at the back of your cellar.
Indeed, the Banfi library of wines acts as an institutional memory of modern Brunello. This edition shows sharp and focused fruit with leather, potting soil, and balsam herb. For a straight-up classic Brunello, this wine delivers the goods.
The Castello Banfi 2015 Brunello di Montalcino is fragrant and bright. Aromas of wild cherry, blackberry and plum emerge from the glass with spice, tar and liquorice following close in tow. The unified front created by those aromas adds to the overall intensity and purity of the wine.
The wine is silky and glossy with a mid-weight style that wraps closely over the palate. This Brunello is fermented in both steel and oak. About 80% of the total volume ages in 60- or 90-hectoliter botte made with French oak, and 20% is aged in new barrique.
The 2014 Brunello di Montalcino reveals a pragmatic, no-nonsense approach to this challenging vintage. The wine makes good on a promise to deliver the cornerstone characteristics of Brunello including wild berry aromas with grilled herb, spice, and forest floor.
This vintage is not known for its intensity or thickness, and in fact the wine is mild and composed in personality. However, it is also silky and accessible with a very fine but firm tannic structure that is stitched in carefully like lacework at the back.
Castello Banfi's 2012 Brunello di Montalcino is a textbook expression of the vintage. This wine faithfully reflects the warmth of the vintage thanks to aromas of plump cherry, blackberry, spice, grilled herb, and rosemary.
The bouquet offers a very Mediterranean quality that is saturated, rich, and succulent. There's a distant mineral vein that fits perfectly within this aromatic portrait of Sangiovese. Castello Banfi has done a good job building up the mouthfeel in a vintage that has produced many thin and lean wines.
This expression offers respectable dimension and depth. Eighty percent of the wine is aged in botte grande and the rest goes into French barrique for two years.
Castello Banfi has maintained an excellent reputation for consistency over the years. The performance of its base Brunello offers solid evidence of this. If you look back at the scores over the years, you will see less fluctuation between the good vintages and the bad ones.
That consistency is achieved thanks to significant investments in manpower and technology. The 2011 Brunello di Montalcino beautifully illustrates my point. The wine is openly redolent of Sangiovese-driven aromas of wild berry, underbrush, and spice.
The finish is long, silky and the tannins are polished. This wine should hold well for the next ten years.
Castello Banfi's 2010 Brunello di Montalcino is one of the ripest wines I have tasted from this vintage. The bouquet opens to chewy tones of cherry or raspberry preserves with dried prunes and figs at the back.
This is no surprise considering the softly sloping, sea-facing vineyards located in the lower part of the appellation where temperatures are slightly warmer on average. There is no doubt that this is an impeccably crafted wine (it sees 50-50 aging in French barrique and larger oak casks) that aspires to a great level of intensity, power, and fullness.
The mouthfeel is round and immediate with sweet fruit flavours. This Brunello will appeal to those who like a softer side of Sangiovese.
Type: |
Red |
Country: |
Italy |
Region: |
Tuscany |
Appellation: |
Brunello di Montalcino DOCG |
Producer: |
Castello Banfi |
Grapes/Blend: |
Sangiovese |
Local Delivery
We have a fleet of vans that deliver throughout the French and Italian Riviera, rates calculated based on distance at cart stage. Option to book time and date.
For deliveries further afield, please call for a quote: +33 (0) 493 61 80 20
France / Monaco
1 - 2 working days delivery in France, for orders placed before 2pm.
Options for couriers and drop off points available at checkout.
EU - Mainland
1 - 3 day delivery throughout mainland EU, for orders placed before 2pm. Allow an extra day for islands.
Options for couriers and drop off points available at checkout.
Rest of the World
Please call for a quote: +33 (0) 493 61 80 20
