Biondi-Santi’s Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2018 is a traditionally built, estate-grown Riserva from Tenuta Greppo, made from 100% Sangiovese (Sangiovese Grosso) in the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG. The estate is widely credited with defining Brunello’s classic profile, and the 2018 Riserva underscores that long-running, patient style rather than chasing ripeness or oak impact.
Several concrete facts frame the wine. Production is small—about 8,000 bottles—and the 2018 is the estate’s “43rd Riserva vintage,” according to *The Drinks Business*, which also reports a global release date of 1 March 2025. The same source notes this is “the first produced from separate parcel-vinification” after a terroir-mapping project, and the first Riserva fully under technical director Federico Radi. Winemaking remains resolutely traditional, with native yeasts and long aging; *Wine Spectator* reports the Riserva regimen as “36 months in Slavonian oak casks plus two years bottle aging.”
Vintage conditions mattered. *Wine Conversation* describes 2018 as “cool and wet,” and says “stringent selection…reduced production by 30%,” with harvest beginning 16 September and lasting eight days. That selection shows up in the way the wine is described: a retailer citing *Robert Parker* characterizes it as “concentrated,” with “layered notes of dark cherry, dried herbs, leather, and earthy undertones,” adding that it carries “a medium-plus body and fine structure.”
Critically, there are no verified published scores for the 2018 Riserva in the material provided, so “excellent reviews” here come in the form of strong qualitative assessments—especially the Parker-sourced note emphasizing concentration, detail, and structural finesse. Alcohol is reported variously at 13.3–13.5%, reinforcing an overall impression of restraint and balance. For drinkers who value classic Brunello architecture and long-term composure over immediate opulence, the 2018 Riserva reads as a serious, traditionally minded release with clear intent and careful selection behind it.
