Conti Costanti Rosso di Montalcino 2019

Conti Costanti is one of the three "founding fathers" of Brunello di Montalcino and, with Barbi, the only one still owned by the same family. The barely 10ha vineyard, entirely biodynamic, is located just outside the town on the southern slope. Without much fuss, some of Montalcino's finest wines are made here year after year. After manual harvest, the grapes are completely de-risked and fermented in steel cuves. The Brunello matures in large 30hl and 5hl barrels for 3 years. The results are particularly great Brunello's in a complex, structured style , with slightly more roundness that makes them a little more approachable than those from Biondi-Santi. Costanti's Brunello's have always been among the best in the region, and especially in the last decade Andrea and his team have been making truly great wines!

The Rosso Vermiglio comes from the same vineyards, but receives a shorter ageing period and this too is a particularly fine, complex wine of a level that not so many Brunello's reach....

Finally, the Rosso comes from slightly sandier terroir and is aged for a year in 3-year-old 225l and 335l Allier oak barrels. It is a truly blissful wine and certainly one of the very finest Rossos. Can be drunk after just a few years.

Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "Andrea Costanti is at the very top of his game. The wines have never been better at a property that remains a reference point for Montalcino.... Andrea Costanti's straight Brunello remains one of the single best and most consistent wines in Montalcino."

Eric Guido (Vinous): “The 2019 Rosso di Montalcino is deep, primary and full of character. Here I’m finding a seductive bouquet of black raspberry preserves complemented by nuances of clove, allspice and candied ginger. Its textures are silky and pliant, displaying much more weight than you’d expect from a Rosso, which is balanced by a core of bright acidity. Rich red and hints of blue fruit prevail, lasting throughout the incredibly long and floral tinged finale, where a coating of sweet tannin lingers. As good as this is today, it will be even better in another year and easily excel over short-term cellaring. There were only 10,000 bottles produced of the 2019, which is about half of what was bottled in 2018. Don’t miss it" 92/100