Altesino Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli 2019

Altesino Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli 2019 is a single-vineyard 100% Sangiovese Brunello at 14.5% ABV in a 750ml bottle. This 2019 vintage collected an extraordinary four separate 97-point ratings — from Wine Advocate (Monica Larner), Vinous (Eric Guido), JebDunnuck.com (Audrey Frick), and James Suckling — cementing its reputation as one of the vintage's standout wines from Montalcino.

Quick Facts: ABV: 14.5%  |  Origin: Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy  |  Single Vineyard (Montosoli)  |  Producer: Altesino

Production & Heritage

Altesino holds a singular place in Brunello history: it was the first estate in Montalcino to introduce the concept of cru wines — single-vineyard bottlings selected for their distinctive terroir expression. The Montosoli vineyard, roughly five hectares situated northeast of the town of Montalcino at an elevation of 350 to 400 meters, sits on marly limestone and siliceous limestone soils that lend the wine its characteristic mineral backbone. The 2019 was aged for 28 months in large 60-hectoliter French and Slavonian oak casks, a traditional approach that preserves varietal transparency and site-specific character. Production was limited to approximately 12,000 bottles.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with concentrated dark fruit — blackcurrant and steeped plums — before unfolding into layers of cherry liqueur, pressed flowers, and violet. Beneath the fruit sits a striking thread of crushed slate and gravelly earth that signals the Montosoli vineyard's limestone-rich soils.

Taste: The entry is generous with raspberry compote and blood orange, giving way to a mid-palate of polished leather, star anise, and sage. At its peak, flavors of baked plum, licorice, and mocha emerge alongside a pure, almost crystalline fruit clarity. The structure is firm yet refined, with granular tannins providing architecture without heaviness.

Finish: Long and deeply layered, carrying sweet smoke, new leather, and a persistent mineral note reminiscent of wet stone. The fruit recedes slowly, leaving behind savory earth and a subtle echo of cherry marinated in spirits.

How to Drink Montosoli 2019

This is a wine built for attentive drinking — serve it at 60–65°F after decanting for at least an hour. A generous Burgundy-style glass helps concentrate its complex aromatics. While its structure and concentration reward patient cellaring through 2040 and beyond, the 2019 vintage's generous fruit makes it approachable now with air. This is not a cocktail wine; its place is squarely at the table or in a tasting glass.

Best For

• Cellaring for a milestone occasion five to twenty years from now
• Gifting a serious Italian wine collector
• Anchoring a Brunello vintage or single-vineyard tasting flight
• Pairing with a special-occasion Italian dinner featuring braised or grilled meats

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Montosoli 2019 taste like? It delivers concentrated dark fruit — blackcurrant, steeped plum, blood orange — interwoven with polished leather, star anise, licorice, and a striking crushed-slate minerality that reflects its limestone vineyard soils.

How does Montosoli 2019 compare to Altesino's regular Brunello? Altesino's annata (village-level) Brunello blends fruit from multiple estate vineyards, while the Montosoli bottling is a single-vineyard cru from one five-hectare site, resulting in greater concentration, more pronounced mineral character, and a longer aging trajectory. The Montosoli also receives its own vineyard-specific selection and consistently scores higher with major critics.

Is Montosoli 2019 good for sipping neat? Absolutely — this is primarily a contemplative wine meant for careful, undistracted tasting, ideally after decanting for an hour or more to fully reveal its aromatic complexity and layered palate.

Where is Montosoli 2019 made? It is produced by the Altesino estate in Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, from grapes grown exclusively in the Montosoli vineyard located northeast of the town at 350 to 400 meters elevation on marly and siliceous limestone soils.

What foods pair well with Montosoli 2019? Bistecca alla fiorentina pairs naturally, as the wine's tannin and acidity cut through the richness of charred beef. Slow-braised wild boar ragù echoes the wine's earthy, savory depth. Aged Pecorino Toscano mirrors its firm structure and mineral undertone. Roasted lamb with rosemary and garlic complements the herbal and leather notes. Pappardelle with porcini mushrooms bridges the wine's dark fruit and forest-floor character.

What sizes does Montosoli 2019 come in? The standard release is a 750ml bottle, with total production limited to approximately 12,000 bottles for this vintage.

Is Montosoli 2019 worth the price? It positions firmly in the premium tier of Brunello di Montalcino, justified by its single-vineyard pedigree as the original cru Brunello, limited 12,000-bottle production, and exceptional critical consensus including four 97-point scores from leading publications.

Why Montosoli 2019?

Montosoli was the wine that introduced the idea of single-vineyard Brunello to the world — a concept now widely emulated across Montalcino and beyond. The 2019 vintage represents the expression at a high-water mark, earning 97 points from four independent critics: Wine Advocate, Vinous, JebDunnuck.com, and James Suckling, along with 96 from Kerin O'Keefe and 95 from Decanter. With only 12,000 bottles produced from a five-hectare plot of limestone-rich soil at altitude, this is not a wine made in volume — it is a site-specific statement aged traditionally in large oak. For collectors and serious drinkers of Italian wine, it stands as a benchmark for what Sangiovese from a great Montalcino vineyard can achieve.