In case you’ve been hiding under a rock, the 2019 vintage in Montalcino is continuing to produce some amazing wines! We’ve been impressed across the board but have been, nonetheless, buying them selectively, looking for wines that show more than just raw power and big tannins. Il Palazzino, a cantina we’ve been following for the past decade or so, has produced a wine that could be a poster child for the attributes of the vintage.

"2019 is a year where the entire region excelled, from southwest to east and northeast to west. Frankly stated, finding a 2019 that doesn’t show remarkable balance, vivid fruit and freshness is a difficult task. In my opinion, this is always a mark of a great year. The highs are exceptionally high, and the lows are few and far between. What’s more, this is a year where many lesser wines excelled, making picking out a 2019 Brunello a relatively easy affair." - Eric Guido, Vinous, November 2023

"If you look at the grape-growing season for 2019 in Montalcino, you might expect the region to have made some of its best Brunello di Montalcino ever. " - James Suckling, September, 2023

"Brunello di Montalcino is one of Italy’s most famous, longest-lived, and most collectible red wines. There have been many memorable vintages that have gone down in history, the wines of which rank amongst the best reds the country has ever made: for example, 1975, 1988, 1990, 1999, 2001, 2010, 2015 and 2016 are some of the best Brunello vintages of the last fifty years. The good news is that, at first glance, the wines of 2019 appear to be poised to be remembered as great Brunellos." - Ian D'Agata, December 2023

2019 Il Palazzone Brunello di Montalcino Regular Price $90. Ours is 74.99 with shipping included on 3 bottles or more

Is Mountain Montalcino even a thing? It is now! In these days of torrid summers and over-the-top ripeness levels, altitude means access to cooling evening breezes and much cooler, slower ripening conditions. But that’s only part of what makes Il Palazzone’s magnificent 2019 Brunello di Montalcino such a success. Besides the fact that the two vineyard sites that comprise the vast majority of this wine sit at 510 meters and 370 meters respectively, they are perched on rockier, less clayey soils, quite different from the galestro profile so prevalent in most wines from Montalcino. There’s an added boost of acidity, tannins and mountain freshness that helps take this prodigious offering from the merely rich, extracted and powerful to something more- something with a sense of silky elegance and elan that some 2019s can lack. For those unfamiliar, Il Palazzone is run by an American couple, the Kerns, who have assembled an all-star team of talent to oversee their tiny estate and produce their exquisite production of Rosso and Brunello as well as an extraordinarily good olive oil. Though they’re not certified as such, they farm organically and the winemaking is restrained and very much suited to the production of wine that emphasize subtlety and polish. We were very much impressed with its balance and promise of a lovely future ahead of it. Priced better than a lot of wines in its class, we recommend adding some to the cellar for drinking in about five to six years and improvement for another dozen at least. What a vintage this is turning out to be!

Vinous: The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino is an understated beauty, slowly blossoming with rose petals, cedary spice and dried strawberries. It’s silky-smooth and pliant with a hint of sweet spice up front that gives way to ripe red and blue fruits all carried across a wave of silken textures. Youthful tension slowly builds as mounting tannins tug at the cheeks and a cranberry crunchiness forms, yet all the while, residual acidity maintains perfect balance. Don’t let this seductress fool you, for all of her youthful charms, the best is yet to come. 94 points

James Suckling: Black cherries and flowers, such as roses on the nose. Medium to full body with firm, silky tannins and a clear finish. Very al dente. Drink after 2027. 95 points