Brunello Di Montalcino, Mastrojanni, 2019

The Mastrojanni Estate is situated in the south-east corner of the Montalcino region, set apart up a dirt road from the village of Castelnuovo dell’Abate. The wines are traditional and terroir-driven and the winery eschews the use of barriques as one might expect from such traditionalists. Having been purchased by coffee giants Illy, the estate has enjoyed even greater success in recent years and is now rated in the top 10 in the region. The vines are enjoying something of a golden age, reaching their “prime production” according to Monica Larner and revealing hauntingly profound expressions of Sangiovese.

The estate Brunello is a house favourite at Honest Grapes, especially of Head Wine Guru Tom who takes at least one case every year. 2019 is a superb vintage for Brunello with “an embarassment of riches for collectors” according to Vinous’ Eric Guido, and unsurprisingly Mastrojanni has knocked it out the park. The Wine Advocate’s Monica Larner rates the 2019 very highly indeed with 95 points, and this is an absolute no-brainer for Brunello lovers!