The Michaelangelo of Montalcino - Some of the most elegant Brunellos made - 97 points.

 Gianni Bernazzi

 - Got 100 Points for His 2010 Assunto Riserva 

 - Consistently High Scores

 - A Modern Master of the High Altitude, Elegant Style of Brunello

 - An Absolute Star

 - Comparable Fruit Density, Elegance and Balance to Our Top Cornas...

 - At Half the Price

 - If you Buy Northern Rhone Reds, You Should try These Wines - Dense But Elegant 

2016 Bellaria Assunto Brunello di Montalcino

 - 97 Points Suckling

 - The Best Grapes Sourced from a Single Vineyard

 - Nose Leaps from the Glass

 - Laserlike Tendrils of Blackberry

 - Blackberry Licorice

 - Integrated Spice

 - Fruit Delineation Is Remarkable

 - Wake the Dead Level of Energy

 - Palate: Unreal

 - Elegant Textural Cling You Get from High End Burgundy

 - Fresh Crushed Wild Blackberries

 - Elegant Wild Blackberry Acidity

 - So Fresh and Precise

 - Elegant Touch of Richness

 - A Mere Touch of Cassis as Well

 - Elite Balance

 - Has the Structure and Balance to Age for Decades

 - A Steal at $43.99 - As Good as Much High End Rhone We Sell at 2x the Price

The Michaelangelo of Montalcino - Altitude Matters

As we all know, Michaelangelo was perhaps the greatest marble sculptor humanity has even produced. His Pieta and David are two of the greatest sculptures ever made. His genius was to take the huge brutal blocks of marble and turn them into the most elegant works that expressed the human condition. The anguish of Mary cradling the body of her dead son. The confidence of a young David.  

When people think of modern Brunello Di Montalcino, I get the sense that they feel that

Brunellos are a bit brooding and dark. Of course, there are well know Brunellos that are quite elegant but people who buy say Cornas don’t buy much Brunello. This is a huge mistake.  

Because Brunello is such a newly important wine region, I think that it is less well understood than it should be. Barolo drinkers can name their favorite vineyards. In Brunello it’s all just one giant blob. Which is unfortunate because as a wine drinker you can’t really have any idea about a wine unless you taste it or read about it. 

As we look at Brunello, we first look at the altitude of the vineyards. In short, for us, higher is better. The higher vineyards are slightly cooler and tend to be better cooled at night.  

A modern master of this high altitude, elegant style is Gianni Bernazzi. We first met Gianni pre pandemic in a brutal period in his life. His grandfather and mentor had just died and he was struggling to run a one man show. On our recent visit, he has come into his own. His wines are better than ever, critically acclaimed and he is a young star in Brunello.  

If you enjoy the precise fruit and complexity of our best Northern Rhone wines you need to buy these wines. They are stunning values and utterly spectacular.  

The Wines

Today we are offering the 2016 Bellaria Assunto Brunello di Montalcino for $43.99 each on a 4 pack. This wine got 97 points from James Suckling. This wine is named after Gianni’s beloved grandfather and these are the best grapes sourced from a single vineyard.  

The nose leaps from the glass. Laserlike tendrils of blackberry flavor penetrate the nostrils. A second wave of blackberry licorice follows a moment later. The fruit delineation on this wine is remarkable. Stunning integrated spice. It has that wake the dead level of energy. Wow!  

The palate is unreal. The first thing that you notice is the texture. You get that elegant cling that you get from high end Burgundy. Clinging silk in a gently but direct caress. The fruit is fresh crushed wild blackberries. The acidity is the kind of acidity you only get in wild blackberries. The ones that are the size of small cones, not the big blobby ones we get in the store. It’s so fresh and precise it’s hard to believe you are drinking a 5 year old bottle of wine. There’s also this elegant touch of richness that is so well woven into the fruit you hardly notice it’s there. There’s just a mere touch of cassis as well. The balance here is utterly elite. It’s very hard to get balance linked this in a wine that has fruit like this. 

This wine has the structure and balance to age for decades.

I’m not sure what else I can say other that Gianni is an absolute star. He is a leading light among the next generation of winemakers in Brunello. He has the scores to back it up and it’s a matter of time before prices double or more.  

"Black cherries, cedar and vanilla give this a very polished nose. It's flirtatiously perfumed on the palate with toffee and cedar spice notes. Full-bodied and bold style with strong oak tannins. Wait a few years for better integration. Drink after 2024." - 97 Points, James Suckling

2016 Bellaria Brunello di Montalcino Assunto - $45.99

 ($175.96 4-Pack)