Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, Conti Costanti

2019 was a fantastic vintage in Montalcino and in particular for storied producer Conti Costanti. Andrea Costanti's compelling 2019 Brunello Riserva is exquisite, starting with its heady scents of violet, rose, exotic dark spice, camphor and forest floor. Brimming with class and extreme elegance, the delicious palate mesmerizes with great depth and layers of flavor including Morello cherry, raspberry compote, orange zest, licorice, cake spice and crushed mint framed in tightly woven, refined tannins. Bright acidity provides impeccable balance and intensity. This is already tempting but the best is yet to come. The Costanti Riservas are only made in extraordinary years, and like the 2016 Riserva, the 2019 is made from the oldest estate vines. After fermenting and aging all the vineyards separately, the final cut was made in the cellar after three years of refinement in barrel. It's absolutely breathtaking.

Andrea Costanti believes resolutely that 2016 was a year to make a Riserva. His is confidently extracted by a skilled hand and demonstrates the formidable structure, profundity and length to ride out well over a couple of decades. Even on the nose you sense the depth as coffee, leather, wet soil and tobacco intertwine. Filling every corner of the mouth, it stretches out with a tactile chalkiness. Dark earthy nuances are brightened by blood orange and red plum. That pleasant bitter citrus peel echoes on the finish. This is commanding rather than seductive at the moment. - Michaela Morris

This perfumed wine opens with layers of scents, including violet, woodland berries, new leather, forest floor and warm spices. Smooth and elegantly structured, the savory palate boasts juicy black-skinned berry, blood orange, licorice, tobacco and the barest hint of coffee bean alongside taut, fine-grained tannins. Bright acidity keeps it impeccably balanced. - Kerin O'Keefe

Lustrous ruby with orange tinges. Concentrated, ripe cherry nose with minerally hints. Focused cherry fruit with gorgeous, succulent acidity. On the finish the fruit is still a little compact and with a layer of fine-grained long tannins. A beauty in the making. - Walter Speller

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is darkly saturated and quite rich; however, this classic vintage also delivers an enhanced level of sharpness and focus too. Dark cherry, plum and other black or purple fruits cede to pretty acidic freshness and a sense of tight buoyancy and vitality, which are among the best qualities of this vintage. - Monica Larner

A deeply sensual bouquet of freshly sliced plums, crushed violets, mentholated herbs and Tuscan dust rises up from the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. This is deeply textural while also cool-toned and refined, with mineral-tinged red and black berries cascading across a core of brisk acidity. Tension builds throughout, as grippy tannins mount toward the close, nicely contrasted by a burst of sour citrus. There’s a crystalline structure to the 2016 that tempts the imagination as to what the future will bring, and it tapers off long, youthfully poised, yet also remarkably fresh. Time will only increase the depths of the 2016 Riserva, a wine that I seriously look forward to tasting again in five to ten years. - Eric Guido

A cask rather than vineyard selection, Conti Costanti’s Riserva is crafted from barrels that demonstrate the greatest tannic structure and acidity for long ageing. The 2015 is undoubtedly powerful with masses of grainy tannins and concentration, but it still captures the vintage’s generous and affable personality. Replete with black cherry, blackberry, wet forest earth, star anise and cinnamon, its sweet, ripe fruit is countered by a savoury leather element. It carries its size with ease and grace - almost irresistible now, there's so much there for years of drinking pleasure.

Heady scents of chopped herbs, woodland berry, forest floor, new leather, dark spice and violet are just some of the aromas you'll find in this fragrant wine. It's savory and loaded with finesse, delivering juicy Marasca cherry, raspberry compote, licorice, orange zest and pipe tobacco alongside firm yet polished tannins and fresh acidity. A tangy mineral note graces the lingering finish. It's still young and needs plenty of time to fully unwind and develop. - Kerin O'Keefe

Costanti's 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva takes a good amount of time to blossom in the glass. It’s dusty and floral in character, blowing off notes of white smoke and crushed stone before showing a delightful mix of ripe plums, cherries and sweet spice balanced by hints of leather and flowery undergrowth. There’s a wonderful purity to its red berry fruits, guided by juicy acids and salty minerals, which creates a refreshing yet tactile feel, as fine tannins slowly begin to dry out the expression. Youthfully dry and a bit chewy, this tapers off with gorgeous inner sweetness. Andrea Costanti explains that the barrel regiment here is the same as his straight Brunello, with just one more year in bottle before release, but that he picks the barrel that shows the greatest aging potential and balanced acidity for the Riserva. My best advice is to lose this in the cellar for at least the next five years. - Eric Guido

Boasting dark fruit, scorched earth and savory spice, the Conti Costanti 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a wine of broad shoulders and a lasting aromatic imprint. It is fleshy and even a bit flashy, thanks to that abundant and generous aromatic display. To the palate, this Riserva is soft, thickly textured and enriched by the ripeness of its fruit fiber and the warmth of the Tuscan sun. This wine draws its fruit from a 10-hectare site with Galestro soils. - Monica Larner