Poggio di Sotto’s Brunello di Montalcino 2021 comes from Castelnuovo dell’Abate in southeastern Montalcino, where the estate farms organically on hillside vineyards planted exclusively to Sangiovese. In keeping with the house’s traditional approach, this Brunello is fermented and aged using Slavonian oak and cement, an élevage Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate says “preserves finesse and site expression.” Alcohol is listed at 14%, and the wine was “bottled in May 2025,” according to Audrey Frick (Jeb Dunnuck).
The 2021 vintage was marked by hot, arid conditions, but Decanter notes the wine “defies the hot, arid conditions,” quoting winemaker Leonardo Berti that the team harvests “as the grapes are reaching their ripening plateau, not after.” Decanter also highlights the estate’s “rich diversity of old clones,” which can “curb concentration and alcohol,” helping maintain freshness and flow.
Aromatically, reviewers converge on a lifted, red-fruited profile with floral and savory detail. James Suckling calls it “perfumed,” with “dried flowers, red fruit, lavender and dried herbs,” while Frick describes “cranberries, Bing cherries, fresh roses, blood orange, and stony earth.” Vinous (Eric Guido) adds a darker edge—“depths of black cherry… a minty herbal thrust… pine… dusty earth”—and Kerin O’Keefe points to “balsamic notes of camphor… blue flower, cedar and dark exotic spice.”
On the palate, the through-line is precision and structure without heaviness. Suckling emphasizes “tension and precision” and “vibrant, linear acidity,” and Decanter finds “depth without denseness.” Wine Advocate describes an “elegantly streamlined structure marked by vibrancy and energy.”
The critical reception is outstanding. The wine earned 99 points from Jeb Dunnuck (Frick), who calls it “a standout wine that will require patience” and suggests it can drink well “over the next two to three decades” (Drink 2026–2057). Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and James Suckling both award 98, with Suckling praising its “exceptional length and detail.”
