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B-21 Top Recommendation
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"The successful wines of 2020 are absolutely gorgeous." - Eric Guido, Vinous
How does Brunello follow an act like the epic 2019 vintage? That's the million-dollar question surrounding Brunello's 2020 vintage, and to be sure, it doesn't boast the generation excellence or across the board consistency of 2010, 2016, or 2019, but as with any great wine region, the great producers certainly made great wines, and they're ripe for the picking if you know where to look. Today's offer distills our broad and deep selection of 2020 Brunellos into a quartet of favorites that we believe capture the vintage perfectly while offering exceptional quality-to-price ratio.
The "harmonious and vibrant" 2020 Camigliano takes this estate's overachieving class to the next level with a glowing 95-point score from Wine Spectator, while the 2020 Caparzo "is really pretty ... Creamy and so polished. It goes on for minutes. A graceful and complex 2020 Brunello," as noted James Suckling, hinting at one of the vintage's finest qualities, its approachability in the near term. Fans of the world's best Sangioveses can rest assured that all the varietal's most striking and important features can be found in spades in this stunning expression of "ample energy and dimension."
It should come as no surprise that Montosoli's most famous estate, Altesino, turned out some stellar wines yet again in this vintage. The 2020 Altesino is once again a razor-sharp buy with three of 95-point scores under its belt. "Offering both refined complexity and true drinking pleasure, with nothing heavy or weighted, it's fabulous all around," declares Dunnuck's Italy critic, Audrey Frick. Finally, the 2020 Casanova di Neri boasts an extra dimension this vintage, as that estate's legendary Cerretalto was not produced, the fruit going instead into this bottling, resulting in 96-point rendition that is "especially spicy, lifted and intense" according to Wine Advocate's Monica Larner.
As the 2020 Brunellos have come to market, it's becoming clear that this vintage is a more than worthy follow-up to the heralded 2019s, and best of all, performers like these show that they're among the smartest buys in Italian wine at the moment. |
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The 2020 Brunello di Montalcino has an intruiguingly espressive nose of cured olives, white pepper, rhubarb, and raspberry coulis. The tannins are firm and grippy, framing the lively acidity. There is an impressive power to the finish, with black cherry and smoked meats lingering. This is deeper in color than many of the 2020 Brunellos.
96 points, Vanessa Conlin, Wine Independent (Dec 2024)
Really delicious fruit with cherry and berry character, as well as a hint of cedar. Creamy tannins and fresh acidity. Grapes from the Cerretalto vineyard are used here this year. Drink or hold.
95 points, James Suckling (Sep 2024)
The Casanova di Neri 2020 Brunello di Montalcino (with the white label) represents a departure from the norm. Because the Cerretalto was not produced, fruit from that vineyard with its reddish mineral-rich soils was directed here instead. For that reason, this wine is especially spicy, lifted and intense. Dark cherry fruit is followed by rusty nail, black pepper and milled spice. The wine is fermented in steel tanks, sees 20 days of skin maceration and ages in botte and tonneaux for over three years. The oak is very well integrated. This is a wine of character (with 98,000 bottles made).
94 points, Monica Larner, Wine Advocate (Nov 2024)
The 2020 Brunello di Montalcino is dreamy, with a confectionary burst of sweet spice and vivid crushed black cherries complemented by rosy florals. It's juicy, opening with a sweet and sour sensation as hints of cranberry and tart citrus give way to a tactile coating of crunchy mineral tones toward the close. This resonates with tension, long and staining with a tinge of bitter blackberry and tangerine that pucker the cheeks as edgy tannins frame the finish. Gorgeous.
94 points, Eric Guido, Vinous (Nov 2024)
Exhibiting cherry, raspberry, eucalyptus, iron and spice aromas and flavors, this supple red is complex and compelling. Supported by a swath of dusty tannins, yet everything feels in the right place. Excellent length. Best from 2027 through 2042. 8,190 cases made, 3,300 cases imported.
94 points, Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator (Mar 2025)
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