(95+ points) Elegantly woven together, the 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino is herbaceous with compelling aromas of tarragon, red cherry preserve, medicinal herbs, saline, and dried rose petals. It displays graceful ease and arch through the palate, with its layers gently coaxing through a long finish. It is noted by red raspberry, sweet herbs, fresh orange, and softly textured stony earth, and it has refreshing acidity with a delicate throughline and ultra-fine tannins. This is an absolutely gorgeous and gracefully transparent expression to drink over the next 15-20 years.

The Castello Romitorio 2018 Brunello di Montalcino shows crisp and tart fruit with cherry, cassis and wild plum. This mid-weight wine offers a lot of freshness and brightness in a vintage that posed challenges for many. This expression is unique thanks to the inner energy displayed here; the red fruit is front and center and the wine's balanced acidity seals the deal. It ages in oak for two years. - Monica Larner

Darkly alluring and dusty in style, the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino impresses with a blend of dried citrus peels, shavings of cedar, flowery undergrowth, black cherries and Tuscan dust. It's soft-textured, buoyant even, with depths of velvety, textural red and blue fruits and sweet liquid inner violet tones that stain the palate. The 2018 finishes fresh and long with notions of wild blueberry and hints of balsamic spice, framed by a coating of fine tannin. Romitorio used all of their fruit that is usually reserved for the Riserva to bolster their Brunello in 2018. Production was also down by 15% due to a strict selection to eliminate moldy berries. That said, this is a total success for the vintage. - By Eric Guido on October 2022

Assembled from the estate’s highest altitude plots - between 350 and 450 metres - Castello Romitorio’s classic Brunello embodies the grace of the vintage without sacrificing depth or flavour. Aromas are ethereal at first, then take hold with fetching rosehip, liquorice root and juniper scents. Inner-mouth sweetness of pure cherry is offset by succulent acidity and powdery tannins. There's sneaky substance here with a lingering presence. The Filo di Seta may have more stuffing for ageing, but I can’t help being completely enamoured by the sheer elegance (for the price) of this.