Biondi Santi Offer 2026

A small number of bottles (between 400 and 450) have been set aside for Biondi-Santi's successful late-release program. To be reintroduced to the market in March 2025, we have the very exciting 1997 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. This vintage is remembered as a very warm one, and indeed, it can be seen as a precursor to some of the more recent hot vintages (like 2003 and 2017) that are often cited in discussions on climate change. In all, the 1997 vintage gave uneven results across the appellation. However, this wine crafted by the Biondi Santi family comes off as robust but elegant at the same time. It opens to a more saturated color and shows dark aromas of plum, tobacco, licorice root and camphor ash. I also get a sweet tone of honey or roasted chestnut. It closes with medium-plus intensity, resolved tannins and a characteristic pinch of acidity. (97) MONICA LARNER, tasted 2025

Boasting a brick red color, the 1997 Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva reveals aromas of baked red cherries, leather, mushroomy earth, and Mediterranean herbs. Medium-bodied and lovely, with well-integrated tannins that still have definition, it has balanced acidity and a lovely, seamless feel. It's moving closer to its peak of maturation, but it's not showing any desiccation or signs of being over the hill. I would love to sit with a glass of this in the autumn and winter months, simply paired alongside some high-quality Pecorino cheese. Small quantities will be released in March of 2025. (98) JEB DUNNUCK, tasted 2025

Camphor, wild rose, forest berry and botanical herb are just some of the aromas you'll find on the intensely fragrant Biondi Santi 2018 Riserva. Showing great pedigree and class, the elegantly structured palate features succulent Morello cherry, orange peel, licorice and rosemary lifted by fresh acidity. Taut, polished tannins lend support and balance. A fantastic wine that while already tempting will be hitting the start of its ideal drinking window in a few years where it will stay for decades. (98) JEB DUNNUCK

The 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva pours a deeper red color, while the nose reveals aromas of strawberries, anise spice, and roses, along with incense. Medium-bodied, refreshing, and mouthwatering, with a refined feel, it displays a ripe citrus-noted profile on the palate, with a hint of dusty earth and a long, clean finish. It's a beautiful and freshly styled Riserva to enjoy over the coming 20 years. (98) JEB DUNNUCK

The Biondi-Santi 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva saw its fruit harvested after warm end-of-summer winds dried the fruit after rains. It resulted in fruit with extra pulp and thinner skins. This Riserva has a medium-plus body and delivers generous aromas of dark cherry, underbrush, potting soil and sweet spice. Its structure remains fine and the alcohol content is a very contained 13.3%. The wine is essentially elegant and fine with a slightly rounder or soft fruit profile that cedes to bright freshness and a long, polished finish. (97+) MONICA LARNER

Deeper, darker and more sensual than the Annata, the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva entices with a whiff of lavender and sage before giving way to dried cherry, cedar dust, worn leather and spice. It's surprisingly lifted and finessed, with a salty core of savory minerals to offset its ripe wild berry fruits. A jolt of stimulating acidity maintains harmony throughout. It finishes with admirable length and a saline character, leaving hints of licorice that fade slowly. Despite the growing season, the 2018 comes across as a classic in the making, showing the structure and balance required throughout to promote cellaring. Sadly, production totaled only 8,000 bottles. (97+) ERIC GUIDO, Vinous Media

The radiant Biondi Santi 2019 Brunello is a classic offering from the estate and follows the focus on elegance, energy and restraint that Franco Biondi Santi and his father and before him were both known for. It opens with enticing scents of violet, dog rose, wild berry and dark culinary spice that on the vibrant, focused palate segue into red cherry, pomegranate, licorice and black tea. Taut, refined tannins provide support while racy acidity keeps it balanced and lends tension. It's still youthfully austere and shows great aging potential. (98) KERIN OKEEFE

A bright red color, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino was bottled in March of 2024 and will be released in March of 2025. The aromas are layered and complex with notes of red berries, cranberries, rosemary, orange peel, and black licorice that are constantly evolving in the glass as it opens. Medium-bodied and structured, but also elegant with a weightless feel, it has a long and savory finish. It feels as though it's going to gain in intensity with more time in bottle. (98) JEB DUNNUCK

The Biondi-Santi 2019 Brunello di Montalcino was born in a generous vintage that provided abundant high-quality fruit. The growing season became progressively warmer throughout summer, without heat spikes, and it ended with well-timed rains and a warm autumn. Harvest started in mid-September, and the grapes ripened according to the right parameters without over-ripeness. The wine shows a natural textural richness that is supported by dark fruit, navel orange, tobacco, laurel leaf and Mediterranean herb. There are flinty mineral notes that add to the complexity. This beautiful wine hits a special mark: it offers the ethereal qualities you expect of this celebrated estate, with a good level of austerity to match. (97) MONICA LARNER

The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino pulls the taster close to the glass, darkly floral and balsamic at the first tilt. This blossoms with a textbook profile of worn leather, dried rose, dusty earth, spice and dried black cherry. It sweeps across the palate, silky-smooth with hints of ripe red and black fruit underscored by saline mineral tones that add a crunchy yet salty sensation toward the close. It finishes with tremendous length and concentration, lifted by a tinge of sour citrus. Fine-grained tannins resonate under an air of sweet lavender. The 2019 is classic to the core. With this level of depth coming from the anatta, one can only imagine what the riserva will reveal. (97+) ERIC GUIDO, Vinous Media

Very perfumed and fragrant with sweet berries and fresh roses that follow through to a medium body with pretty depth of fruit and balance. Racy and driven, there's a lot going on in the center-palate. The legend lives. Give this a few years to open, but already impressive (97) JAMES SUCKLING

The Biondi Santi Rossos are famous for being at the level of many other estate's Brunellos and the 2022 carries on this tradition. It opens with heady scents of camphor, dog rose, wild berry and dark spice while the full-bodied, elegantly structured palate offers ripe strawberry, red cherry, star anise and blood orange set against taut, refined tannins. It boasts surprising freshness for the dry, scorching vintage that keeps it lifted and balanced. While it's already tempting, this will be even better in a few years. KERIN OKEEFE

A super-restrained wine showing complex aromas of rhubarb, strawberries, violets, raspberries and blood oranges. The attack is quite ripe, with dense, velvety tannins soaked in fruit, a medium body and refreshing lifted acidity. The finish is long and savory JAMES SUCKLING