Wine Advisor
Conti Costanti, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG 2016
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is darkly saturated and quite rich; however, this classic vintage also delivers an enhanced level of sharpness and focus too. Dark cherry, plum and other black or purple fruits cede to pretty acidic freshness and a sense of tight buoyancy and vitality, which are among the best qualities of this vintage.
Reviewed by: Eric Guido
A deeply sensual bouquet of freshly sliced plums, crushed violets, mentholated herbs and Tuscan dust rises up from the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. This is deeply textural while also cool-toned and refined, with mineral-tinged red and black berries cascading across a core of brisk acidity. Tension builds throughout, as grippy tannins mount toward the close, nicely contrasted by a burst of sour citrus. There’s a crystalline structure to the 2016 that tempts the imagination as to what the future will bring, and it tapers off long, youthfully poised, yet also remarkably fresh. Time will only increase the depths of the 2016 Riserva, a wine that I seriously look forward to tasting again in five to ten years.
About the Producer
Costanti is one of the finest estates in Montalcino, producing very high-quality Brunellos that are elegant, complex and extremely long-lived. Andrea Costanti runs it in collaboration with consultant oenologist Vittorio Fiore. The estate is situated in Colle al Matrieche in the eastern zone of the Montalcino district and the 7 hectares of vineyards are located on a high ridge 400 metres above sea level. At harvest time Costanti employs a rigorous selection process which ensures that only the finest quality fruit is used. His Brunellos are typically backward, dense and fairly impenetrable in their youth. They require bottle ageing to show at their finest and, when fully mature, they are amongst the richest and most harmonious wines in the district, displaying copious amounts of dark cherry and blackberry fruit, bolstered by svelte and elegant tannins.
