Best Brunello di Montalcino 2021: Scores at Benvenuto Brunello 2025

Brunello di Montalcino 2021 is a late summer afternoon, with the sun trying to break through the clouds before setting. A T-shirt might no longer be enough: better bring a sweatshirt. The new vintage presented at Benvenuto Brunello 2025, overall more than convincing from a quality standpoint, is a rollercoaster of contrasting sensations, which often seem to crash thunderously against the rocks of the glorious history of the Tuscan denomination. Goosebump-inducing, due to the abundant freshness that brings it closer to certain Rosso di Montalcino. Or warm and comforting, more “traditionalist.” Like that sweater you’ve known for years you’ll find at the bottom right. In that usual, blessed drawer.

But 2021 for Brunello di Montalcino is the vintage in which some producers’ stylistic interpretation weighed more heavily than in other vintages. Montalcino is not in a bubble, and the market results for red wines, struggling internationally, have convinced more than one producer to lean toward a slimming down of Sangiovese’s profile. Which thus appears more immediate and “drinkable,” even when young. Alongside these interpretations, more or less successful, there are richer and fuller-bodied Brunellos, traditional and “worth waiting for,” as befits the denomination’s nature. All of this regardless of production zone, though with results that reflect the specificities of Montalcino’s soils and their intrinsic propensity to yield more delicate or substantial wines.

“Fragrant,” “defined,” “vertical.” The profile of Brunello di Montalcino 2021 is described this way by “Brunello Forma,” the innovative evaluation method for new vintages by the Consorzio del vino Brunello di Montalcino, introduced for the first time in 2024 and presented during tastings at the Church of Sant’Agostino. Based on qualitative and stylistic criteria that account for the interaction between grape variety, climate, and wine, and the heterogeneity of the territory in terms of exposure, altitude, and soils, the analysis shows how 2021 stands out—generally speaking—for a floral and aromatic profile, with a precise and layered character.

A balanced vintage, in which aromatic concentration, alcohol, and tannins often find natural harmony. In the best samples tasted, with an elegant depth that suggests positive evolution over time.

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“With Brunello Forma, introduced last year, we inaugurated a new approach to reading vintages, moving beyond the traditional star system to adopt a more qualitative and stylistic evaluation, capable of better expressing Sangiovese’s personality,” comments Giacomo Bartolommei, president of the Consorzio del vino Brunello di Montalcino. “This year’s evaluation tells us about a harmonious and elegant vintage, with great potential in terms of aging as well. Now we just have to wait for the market’s response, where we’re already seeing a very strong reception for a vintage that will enter the market starting in January.”

2021 was distinguished primarily by the absence of extreme heat and related stress conditions. During the year, two anomalies occurred that characterized the season compared to the historical average: a colder spring (particularly in March, April, and May) with one of the worst spring frosts in the last twenty years (on April 8, temperatures dropped well below zero) and a noticeably drier and warmer September. Added to this is the fact that it was the second driest summer in the last thirty years, with only two rainfall events exceeding 20 millimeters; on the other hand, particularly high temperatures were never recorded.

The factors that most determined the vintage’s characteristics were the spring frost, which delayed the entire vegetative-productive cycle and in some cases resulted in reduced yields, and moderately elevated temperatures, but with a pronounced diurnal temperature range. The context? That of a particularly dry season, especially in March, July, and September. However, these factors did not occur simultaneously or at severity levels sufficient to compromise the vines’ proper physiological functioning. The Brunello di Montalcino 2021 harvest took place in the second half of September, concluding in the first days of October with a harvest that was limited in some cases not only due to the spring frost, but also because of the lack of rainfall during the March-September period.