Only a truly extraordinary harvest can produce the Castello Romitorio Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG. Since its establishment in 1984 Romitorio has released only a handful of vintages of this wine. It begins with a careful selection of grapes from the estate’s eldest vineyards, located in the Northern zone of Montalcino. Each vineyard block is monitored throughout the vegetative process, blocks are chosen and each cluster is carefully tended in order to ensure that the fruit reaches a consistent and optimal ripeness. The Sangiovese clusters are then harvested meticulously by hand. Each vineyard block is then vinified separately. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks with an initial short period of cold maceration (below 20°C) on the skins for about 15-20 hours. This is followed by up to 24 days of maceration at a higher controlled temperature. Malolactic fermentation that is naturally caused then lasts for about 10 days, before the wine is rested to separate the lees. The wine matures in oak for approximately 36 months, and after bottling the wine is aged in Castello Romitorio’s temperature-controlled cellars for approximately 24 months before release.

"The 2015 Castello Romitorio Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is youthfully restrained yet also surprisingly feminine, leading off with a dusting of cedar and white smoke, as nuances of strawberry, rose and violet perfumes come forward. It’s silky and undeniably elegant, seeming to coat the palate in a polished display of red and black berries, liquid florals and minerals which slowly saturate adding a tactile feel. A complex web of tannins wrap the senses up tightly, leaving sweet inner herbal tones and savory spices to linger. This is like a whisper rather than a shout, yet it has so much to say. In forty years, only nine vintages of Riserva have ever been made at Romitorio, and the 2015 is sure to rank amongst the best of them." 95+ points, Eric Guido, Vinous (November 2020)

Red meats or game paired with mushroom and/or truffle saucese