- 100 points -

TOP 100 WINES OF 2019

This is very intense on the nose with blue fruit, cool stones, brambleberries and blackberries. Wet earth, too. Full-bodied and extremely dense and powerful with a super center palate of fruit and ripe yet compact tannins. Lightly chewy and expressive. Superb transparency and integration. Goes on for minutes. One of the best Brunellos I have tasted in my career.

- 99 points -

#34

Black cherries, lavender, black mushrooms, lead pencil and violets on the nose. Full-bodied with a powerful and polished tannin structure that follows through to the very end. Pure, silky texture. Fascinating aftertaste of ripe fruit, yet it’s fresh and tense. Some orange peel, too. Glorious at the end. So well crafted and pointed.

- 98 points -

Sangiovese, aged in barrique, from raw material of rare crispness, product of vines over 35 years old and sustainable protocols. Marasca to the nose, accompanied by hints of marjoram and rhubarb, with touches of clementine peel. The sip is dense and crisp, savory, with a fruity appeal.

- 97 points -

Such wonderful opulence and beauty. The nose shows dried flowers and minerals with blackberries and black cherries. Purity is the word. Full-bodied with incredible depth and structure and polished, silky tannins that envelop your palate. The length is really impressive.

- 97 points -

Pouring a matte red color, the 2020 Brunello Di Montalcino Vecchievigne is coming from the oldest vines planted in the 1960s. It offers a similar aromatic profile to the 2020 Pelegrilli, but it takes on more layered depth and sapidity. Notes of lavender, baked cherries, fresh leather, Mediterranean herbs, and balsamic are followed by a full-bodied wine that’s plush with velvety refined texture and has a long-lasting finish, with its bright spine of acidity floating beneath the surface.

- 97 points -

Intense, overt and fruit-focused Brunello with fresh violets soaked into bright, crushed raspberries, as well as ash and balsamic depth. Full-bodied yet framed and polished, with a deep tannin structure. It’s very tightly wound in the center-palate, meaning it needs time to open and gain full expression.

- 96 points -

The 2016 Vecchie Vigne Brunello is introspective and complex on the nose, with tobacco, baked earth, dried black plum, cedar, and lavender. The palate is concentrated and brooding, with cola, balsamic black fruit, and tea leaf, and the wine is full-bodied, with chiseled structure, powerful tannin, and balanced acidity. Spending two years in French oak of 225 liters, the oak influence is present but has finesse and is well-integrated for the style. This wine warrants time in the cellar and will be fantastic drinking for those who gravitate to a more polished, modern style.

- 96 points -

This is focused, firm and well structured, with a classy nose of blackberries, cherry stones, white truffles, tea leaves and cloves. Earth and bark, too. Medium-to full-bodied with a tight tannin frame. Racy and linear. Mineral. Tight at the end.

- 95 points -

Menthol, new leather, French oak and spiced blueberry aromas come to the forefront. Full bodied and concentrated, the firmly structured palate delivers dried cherry, grilled Porcini, vanilla and licorice set against assertive, close-grained tannins before closing on a coconut note. Give it time to flesh out in the bottle.

- 95 points -

The nose is decadent but not overdone with plum liqueur, Christmas cake, cedar, Chinese spices, licorice, tea leaves, tar and hot stones. Full and very dense with mouth-coating tannins but also attractive fresh fruit, pretty acidity and a long finish. Rather chewy and needs time, but a beautiful follow-up to the 2012.

- 95 points -

One of the most rightly celebrated bottles of the appellation, also in this well-balanced and decidedly worthwhile vintage. Notes of black currant and nuances of eucalyptus, then nutmeg and floral touches of carnation. Mouth with sapid tannins, fruity return and nice persistence.

- 95 points -

The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne is intense, bursting from the glass with a blend of rosemary and spiced blood orange before evolving to show dried black cherries and hints of incense. This flows across the palate with velvety textures complicated by tactile mineral tones and zesty acidity as cool-toned red and black fruits slowly saturate. A web of fine-grained tannins envelops the senses as the 2019 finishes dramatically long and staining, leaving traces of cedary spice and inner rose to linger on and on. This is a formidable VecchieVigne that will pay dividends in the cellar.

- 94 points -

Ripe fruit with lavender and sandalwood as well as some new wood on the nose. Medium to full body, with firm and structured tannins that are polished and curated. Needs time to soften and come together. Bigger style for Pacenti due to the hot vintage. 

- 93 points -

Forest floor, toasted oak, dark spice, new leather and tobacco aromas fill the glass along with a whiff of eucalyptus. The firmly structured concentrated palate shows power and finesse, offering dried black cherry, star anise, coffee bean and grilled sage alongside fresh acidity and close-grained tannins. It’s still youthfully austere and will benefit with several more years spent in the cellar. Drink 2023-2033.

95+ Points

Showing an inky dark appearance and made with old-vine fruit, the Siro Pacenti 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne has a note of baked blackberry pie with the crust, raspberry preserves, barbecue smoke, cigar box and every other rather extreme aromatic description you could apply to a heavily barrique-aged red wine. It's overblown for sure, especially at this young age, but experience teaches us that Siro Pacenti's wines need time, lots of time, before all the elements fall into palace. The alcohol is registered at 15%, and there are jackhammer tannins to close.