A closer look at Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino, and how both wines shape a more open, modern understanding of the region
If Brunello di Montalcino feels like one of those wines you admire from afar — lofty, austere, maybe a little intimidating — it might be time to rethink the story.
For decades, this Tuscan benchmark has been revered as one of Italy’s greatest reds: 100 percent sangiovese grown in a breathtaking region shaped by limestone, galestro (a crumbly schist-clay soil mix) and wind-sculpted slopes south of Siena. Here, the sun and soil lend clarity and tension to the grapes – qualities that are unmistakably Montalcino.
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Seen through the lens of wine lovers around the world, Brunello is synonymous with depth and age-worthiness, but that reputation has its own barriers to entry. The production zone itself is finite: the entire appellation sits within the historic boundaries of the Municipality of Montalcino, a 24,000-hectare territory where just 15 percent is under vine. Limited acreage, long aging requirements, and naturally elevated pricing have all contributed to Brunello’s aura: admired widely, opened more selectively.
Last November’s Benvenuto Brunello 2025 — the 34th edition of the flagship event of the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino — felt notably open in tone. It was a chance to recast Brunello di Montalcino not as a pedestal wine, but as something meant to be reached for. And to give Rosso di Montalcino, a vibrant, standalone expression of the territory in its own right, equal billing as a wine with its own identity, not Brunello’s stepping-stone entry point.
Montalcino (Veduta Borgo)
Across technical tastings, walk-around sessions, producer visits, and winery dinners, the previews featured 122 producers and more than 350 Brunellos and Rossos shown across the tastings, along with the first commercial look at Brunello 2021, Brunello Riserva 2020, and Rosso 2024. Nearly 100 journalists and wine experts attended the trade days before the event opened to the public for two more days.
What emerged was a shift in tone. As Giacomo Bartolommei, President of the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino, put it: “…the way we talk about wine is evolving. In a constantly changing world, wine returns to being a story, an encounter, a shared experience, a language that connects more than it explains.” That framing as wine as connection rather than trophy is exactly what opens the door for new drinkers. And it’s where both Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino can find fresh footing.
Brunello 2021: Elegant, expressive, and surprisingly friendly
Vintage assessments can often slide into jargon, but the 2021 Brunello arrives with its identity already defined by three telling words — fragrant, refined, slender — as outlined by Brunello Forma, the Consorzio’s newer qualitative framework that replaces the old star system with a more nuanced evaluation of climate, terroir, and sangiovese’s structural profile.
Alana Lapierre (sitting at very back of table) at November’s Benvenuto Brunello 2025.
Fragrance shows up in lifted peach and crunchy red-cherry aromatics, edged with spice and a touch of Mediterranean leafiness that keeps the nose bright. Refinement reflects the way fruit concentration, alcohol, and tannins fall into a natural equilibrium — a balance tied to moderate early-summer rainfall and temperatures that kept the vines moving without strain. And slenderness describes the wine’s architecture: a vertical, graceful line of chalky-to-sandy tannins that frame the palate without heaviness, giving the wine an almost tensile energy.
These traits mirror the growing season itself. A colder spring marked by an early-April frost, a notably dry summer, and a warm, dry September shaped the vintage, trimming yields in some sites. Slightly above-average rainfall from June to August and steady diurnal shifts preserved both tension and aromatic clarity. The result is a Brunello that feels composed and expressive, built on balance rather than force, and one that can satisfy collectors while remaining surprisingly welcoming to drinkers approaching Brunello with fresh curiosity.
Rosso di Montalcino: Vibrant, versatile, and very much its own wine
Made from the same sangiovese and within the same historical boundaries as Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso is released earlier, with a fresher, fruit-forward character that speaks directly to the personality of the vintage. It’s a vibrant wine with its own identity, a standalone expression of the territory rather than a stepping-stone to Brunello. And where Brunello can often demand and reward patience, Rosso di Montalcino offers immediacy — a true drink-now expressiveness — without sacrificing regional identity.
A masterclass in Brunello and Rosso.
The momentum behind Rosso is unmistakable. Vineyard plantings continue to expand, and bottlings rose nearly 29 percent in the first ten months of 2025, a reflection of both growing global interest and the denomination’s strengthening presence. At this year’s Benvenuto Brunello, the Consorzio presented the 2024 Rosso, a lively, clear-cut expression that shows why the category resonates so strongly with both new and long-time drinkers.
“Where Brunello is a vino di contemplazione, a wine of contemplation, Rosso is the heartbeat of the vintage — a messenger, released earlier. It’s a wine you share at the table, with friends and family; it’s the joy of sangiovese.” — Elisa Sesti, co-director and winemaker, Sesti Winery
Rosso’s role is increasingly central to how the region communicates itself: expressive, versatile, and firmly part of Montalcino’s contemporary identity. If Brunello speaks in layers, Rosso speaks in clarity — a direct line to the pulse of sangiovese.
A place made for wine (and for curious drinkers too)
Wine is never just about the bottle; it’s about the place that shapes it. And in 2024, Montalcino set a new tourism record with 233,000 visitor nights — up 6.3% from the previous year and nearly 30 percent above pre-Covid levels. The landscape that supports this is compact but diverse: small hotels and agriturismi, two Michelin-starred restaurants, and a network of wine bars and enotecas that let you taste the wines where they’re born. Italian visitors still lead the numbers, followed by travellers from the United States, Germany, Brazil, the UK, and Canada.
Montalcino (Vigneti)
For anyone who once saw Brunello di Montalcino as forbiddingly serious, this context matters. When the region feels open and approachable, the wine follows. Accessibility in the region translates directly into accessibility in the glass.
Pouring it into perspective
Think of Brunello as a study in refinement. Detailed, balanced, and expressive. Rosso offers a more immediate read of the territory, vivid in fruit and effortless at the table with everything from simple pasta to roasted meats.
If Brunello has ever felt out of reach, this vintage makes the case for a closer look. And if Rosso is already in your rotation, its rising momentum only reinforces why it has become one of Tuscany’s most approachable expressions of sangiovese — and one worth following.
Tasters assessing the many Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino wines.
Together, Brunello and Rosso map out a region that honours its traditions while inviting new drinkers in. A clear entry point for anyone who once thought Brunello wasn’t for them.
6 wines to try — from everyday to exceptional
Banfi Brunello di Montalcino – Poggio alle Mura 2021
Bright dark-cherry and plum tones lead, lifted by spice and a thread of fresh tobacco, before the wine settles into firm, chalk-edged tannins. There’s a youthful snap to the fruit and acidity, giving the wine early charm while hinting at the structure to come with some age.
Campogiovanni Brunello di Montalcino – P#327 2021
A dark-fruited Brunello with drive: black cherry and plum at the core, threaded with tobacco leaf, dried herbs, and a flicker of cedar. The tannins are firm yet polished, giving the wine structure without heaviness, and the finish runs savoury and persistent — a confident, age-worthy Brunello with just enough early charm to draw you in now.
Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino 2021
A lifted, red-toned Brunello that opens with cherry, black fruit, blood orange, violet, and fine herbal edges, enriched by tobacco and leather from its long aging in wood, all carried by the estate’s trademark brightness. The tannins are sleek and tightly woven, giving nuance and length, and the overall impression is one of finesse and elegance, a 2021 built on purity. Gorgeous and fascinating. A major splurge, undeniably, but one justified by its precision and purity.
Podere Le Ripi Rosso di Montalcino Sogni e Follia 2022
A bright ruby-red Rosso with a tantalizing mix of cherry, strawberry, and violet on the nose, underpinned by fresh herb and subtle balsamic lift. The palate is focused and savoury, anchored by sleek tannins and a hint of stony minerality, with a poised finish that reflects both the vintage and the estate’s biodynamic attention.
Máté Rosso di Montalcino 2023
A vivid Rosso with fresh cherry and raspberry lift, this sangiovese shows savoury edges of leather and spice alongside aniseed and floral accents, carried by brisk acidity and sleek tannins. Founded by Canadians Ferenc Máté and his wife Candace, the estate’s Rosso combines beautiful brightness and structure.
Col d’Orcia Rosso di Montalcino 2023
A luminous ruby-red Rosso with an aromatic profile of ripe cherry, wild strawberry, and violet, underscored by cedar, orange peel, and gentle baking spices. On the palate, juicy sangiovese acidity rides with fine tannins, offering balance and length. A youthful, expressive Rosso with a lovely underlayer of incense.
– Alana Lapierre is a VineRoutes editor, with a particular focus on eastern Canada and international features
