The noble Costanti family is one of the oldest families in Montalcino. The current Conte, Andrea, is a geologist and has been at the helm of the winery since 1983. He knows his trade: the small estate is highly praised among connoisseurs. The wine estate is located two kilometres east of Montalcino and the soil is the famous Tuscan Galestro. The vineyards are high for Brunello: between 330 and 440 metres. In the nineties, the highest vineyards were seen as the absolute limit for ripening Sangiovese, but now, with climate change, this is thought differently. Costanti now benefits from this altitude: the wines are fresher and more delicate than average. Andrea believes in a special system of maturation. After fermentation in stainless steel, all the wine is put in 500-litre barrels for 14 to 21 days, of which a maximum of 20% are new. After a year, the Rosso is bottled. The rest matures in Slovenian oak barrels of an average of 3,000 litres. After another year, it is determined what the special Rosso (Vermiglio) is made of and that is then bottled. The rest matures for another year as Brunello. After these three years of maturation, it is determined whether Riserva is made and, if so, which barrels are eligible for this. These are the ones with the highest acidity and firmest tannin, which are eligible for a long bottle maturation. That Riserva then matures in the bottle for at least two more years, the Brunello for one year. Incidentally, this ingenious system lies between 'cuvée selection' and 'vineyard selection': the barrels are selected per vineyard and usually the same pieces of vineyard end up in the same wine. In 2018, Ian d'Agata of Vinous gave away 98 points in his assessment of almost 200 Brunelli: to the Riserva of Costanti! The 'regular' Brunello received 96 points from him and is therefore also in the top ten. There is only one drawback to Costanti: the Brunello, especially the Riserva, needs time to mature in order to fully blossom! The Costanti Brunello di Montalcino is a Classic Brunello from a top producer. In the glass it has a deep ruby red color with an orange-brown rim. In addition to ripe, primary fruit (amarene cherries, sweet blueberries) complex aromas of oak influence (vanilla, cloves, toast) and sultry development aromas (caramel, coffee) there are also tertiary aromas of tobacco, leather and 'game' to discover. These complex aromas are also found in the taste, supported by a ripe structure with a lot of concentration. Beautiful acids and ripe tannins are the building blocks that guarantee this wine a long future. FACT: The wine is in our conditioned Wine Warehouse and if you come to pick up the wine you will also receive a nice discount. You will see your discount immediately when you choose Pick up in Checkout page. We are almost next to the Rijksweg with plenty of parking. Click here for our address