2016 Brunello di Montalcino
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Brunello Di Montalcino Montosoli is in a beautiful place today, offering fresh aromatics of blood orange, cranberries, crunchy red berries, and lifted floral perfume. Medium-bodied, it has terrific energy and definition, with ripe tannins and mouthwatering acidity that keep the wine alive and refreshing, even as it continues to develop. It is already a pleasure to drink, but it has the structure to go another two decades with ease. Drink 2026-2050. The wines for this report were tasted at the winery on Montosoli. Baricci is one of the estate’s most important voices on the hill, with six hectares of the 25-hectare Montosoli zone spread across seven distinct parcels. This footprint allows the team to work row by row and highlight the subtle subdivisions of the site, with younger vines from the more fertile, lower-altitude parcels going into the Rosso di Montalcino. The Brunello comes from the marine sedimentary soils surrounded by clay, while the Riserva is selected from the highest point of the hill. In 2020, they were not able to produce Riserva due to low yields from this section of the vineyard, where berry size was also very small, averaging 1.5 grams per berry. Annual production typically hovers around 18,000 bottles, although in 2020 they made closer to 15,000 due to extremely low yields. A new cellar is currently under construction and is scheduled to be operational for the 2026 harvest.
Critic scores
Average Score
Eric Guido, Vinous
The Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The Baricci 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli delivers a classic expression of Sangiovese from one of the best areas of the Montalcino appellation. I always love wines from Baricci, and I am very pleased to encounter the freshness and bright fruit flavors in this vintage that I associate with this estate. There is punchy cherry fruit, blueberry and lots of white stone or crushed mineral. The approach is accessible, and the tannins are soft straight out of the gate. (ML)
The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino draws me in with a woodsy and balsamic bouquet, blending wild strawberries with flowery underbrush and hints of sage. This is soft yet potent, enveloping the palate with ripe textural fruits and sweet spice, as a staining of minerality and fine tannins settle in toward the close. A saturation of black raspberries and licorice is left to linger through the long and gently structured finale, giving way to pretty inner floral perfumes. There’s a beautiful harmony here, along with the balance needed for a long and steady evolution. Of note, while not stated in the name of the wine, the Baricci Brunello is a pure interpretation of Montosoli fruit. (EG)
Proudly from Montosoli, the Baricci 2017 Brunello di Montalcino shows a generous and authentic personality with earthy tones, dried fruit, ripe cherry and roasted herb. This warm-vintage wine is elegant and pure, although there is a meaty or smoky note that is part and parcel of the 2017 vintage. This wine registers 15% alcohol and a thick, open-knit texture. (ML)
About the producer
Established by Nello Baricci in 1966, Baricci is one of Montalcino’s founding producers. The estate’s small five-hectare plot is situated exclusively on the Montosoli hill in the north of Montalcino – renowned for producing distinctly elegant and aromatically complex Brunello.