20 expert-recommended Brunello Riserva 2020 you need, including one spectacular 100-point wine
Michaela Morris navigates the intricacies of the Riserva category to pick out 20 top recommendations from the newly released 2020s.
To make a Riserva, or not to make a Riserva was the question in 2020.
With lower quantities overall and good rather than outstanding quality, the vintage was not an obvious contender in my opinion, especially given the character of the wines.
This isn’t to say that the 2020 Brunello Riserva are without merit.
Some I liked very much, though not necessarily more than their annata counterparts. Indeed, they are surprisingly fresh, fragrant and seductive.
It is the immediate accessibility, modest depth of fruit and gracious structure that made me question the potential for the Riserva category.
Split down the middle
When I polled producers last year, they were split almost equally down the middle. Those for, were enthusiastic; those not, were categorically against.
‘I consider 2020 a vintage for long ageing due to the quality of tannins and freshness,’ asserts Daniela Perino at Fuligni, whose Riserva bottling for the wine’s 50th anniversary was truly merited.
For Il Poggione, the Bindocci family was convinced by the balance of structure and elegance that their old-vine Riserva cru Vigna Paganelli demonstrated. Based on the wine, it is impossible to argue with their decision.
Conversely, Katia Nussbaum at San Polino replied with a capital ‘NO’.
Without denigrating the vintage for Brunello, she explained that it didn’t satisfy either of her criteria for Riserva: ‘greatness beyond compare, or mythology’.
She means of the latter a wine with a compelling narrative – like her unbelievable 2017 Riserva, for example.
A matter of taste
Approximately 50 Riservas were available for preview – about half as many as the 2019s last year.
As a set, they magnify the heterogeneity of the 2020 vintage and the diversity of estate philosophies.
In less successful examples, the vintage’s freshness is lost, without sufficient depth or intrigue to replace it. A number are already oxidised, making me seriously question their ageing potential.
Most of the 2020 Riserva are overshadowed by Le Chiuse and Biondi-Santi’s stellar late-release Riservas – 2016 and 2019 respectively – but my top two picks come from the 2020 vintage, from opposite sides of the region characterised by very different terroirs.
Winemaker Leonardo Berti chose to take Poggio di Sotto’s Riserva out of cask after just 36 months to preserve its freshness and fragrance.
Longer, he explains ‘would have compromised the drinkability of this vintage and robbed it of an essential part of its identity.’
Conversely, Il Marroneto’s Riserva saw a full 54 months in wood. ‘I always try to let the wine be perfect using the barrel, not the bottle’, describes Iacopo Mori.
Affectionally nicknamed ‘The Monster’, one particular cask of Madonna delle Grazie revealed a singularity throughout the entire refinement process and the family couldn’t help but bottle it separately.
It is the estate’s second-ever Riserva (the first was the 2013) – and one of the very few 100-point ratings I have ever awarded.
Brunello Riserva: Top buys
2020 is not a vintage I would categorically recommend paying the extra money for Riserva. However, a few are well worth seeking out.
Of the 20 I chose to recommend (plus late releases from Biondi Santi and Le Chiuse), most are ready or almost ready. In general, 10 to 12 years is a safe drinking bet. Just a small handful really demand more time – such as Conti Costanti, Caprili’s AdAlberto, and Lisini.
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Il Marroneto, Madonna delle Grazie Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2020
<p>The second-ever Riserva from Il Marroneto is undeniably one of the vintage’s outliers – and quite simply in a class of its own. The Mori family...
2020
Il MarronetoBrunello di Montalcino
Biondi-Santi, Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2019
Head winemaker Federico Radi describes 2019 as intrinsically generous in every way – even in the quantity of grapes produced. Intense and captivating, the Riserva...
2019
Biondi-SantiBrunello di Montalcino
Le Chiuse, Diecianni Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2016
Released 10 years after the harvest, Le Chiuse’s Riserva is made from the estate’s oldest vines, approximately 35 years old, which typically yield small berries....
2016
Le ChiuseBrunello di Montalcino
Poggio di Sotto, Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2020
I recalled the gorgeously scented annata bottling in the aromas of Poggio di Sotto’s 2020 Riserva, here amplifying the former's heady perfumes with an exotic...
2020
Poggio di SottoBrunello di Montalcino
Altesino, Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2020
A selection made by consulting oenologist Paolo Caciorgna, Altesino’s Riserva is crafted with cellaring in mind. Bunches are chosen row by row and analysed to...
2020
AltesinoBrunello di Montalcino
Fuligni, Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2020
Produced since 1970, Fuligni’s Riserva celebrates its 50th anniversary with this 2020 release. While I am not sure it will be the estate’s longest-lived edition,...
2020
FuligniBrunello di Montalcino
Conti Costanti, Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2020
Following the relatively hefty Rosso and decisively tannic Brunello, it is no surprise that Conti Costanti’s 2020 Riserva is somewhat of a brooding, structured specimen....
2020
Conti CostantiBrunello di Montalcino
Lisini, Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2020
With respect to its ‘cru’ bottlings, Lisini considers its Riserva the most traditional within the range. Crafted from the best grapes across the estate’s various...
2020
LisiniBrunello di Montalcino
Frescobaldi, Castelgiocondo, Ripe al Convento Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2020
The Ripe al Convento vineyard expands over two sides of a single ridge. Vines with a southern exposure give muscle to the blend while those...
2020
FrescobaldiBrunello di Montalcino
Il Poggione, Vigna Paganelli Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2020
The Bindocci family which manages Il Poggione deems 2020 a great year, particularly for wines made from the oldest sites. As such, there was no...
2020
Il PoggioneBrunello di Montalcino
La Magia, Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2020
A selection from the estate’s oldest vines – almost 50 years old, the Riserva sees a long 45-day maceration and maturation in entirely new French...
2020
La MagiaBrunello di Montalcino
Padelletti, Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2020
Older vines, longer maceration and a full extra year in smaller barrels distinguishes Padelletti’s Riserva from its annata bottling. Where the latter highlighted freshness in...
2020
PadellettiBrunello di Montalcino
Poggio Antico, Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2020
While Poggio Antico’s I Poggi bottling comes from the estate’s highest vineyard, provenance for the Riserva is vintage dependent. Winemaker Alessio Sostegni identifies parcels demonstrating...
2020
Poggio AnticoBrunello di Montalcino
Talenti, Pian di Conte Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2020
As always, Talenti’s Riserva is crafted from the estate’s oldest plantings – averaging 30 to 40 years old. In 2020, the selection was limited to...
2020
TalentiBrunello di Montalcino
Tassi, Franci Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2020
Near Castelnuovo dell’Abate, the Franci vineyard is a 1.5ha plot facing east to southeast, planted in 1979 with a mix of old Sangiovese clones. The...
2020
TassiBrunello di Montalcino
Caprili, AdAlberto Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2020
Caprili’s Giacomo Bartolommei is among a small handful of producers who favoured bottling a Riserva in 2020 rather than 2021, explaining that the latter was...
2020
CapriliBrunello di Montalcino
Cava d'Onice, Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2020
Proprietor Simone Nannetti selects the best bunches from the estate’s highest plots for his Riserva, estimating miniscule yields of 7.5hl/ha. The intense concentration and powerful...
2020
Cava d'OniceBrunello di Montalcino
Sesti, Phenomena Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2020
A barrel selection, this refines in wood for well over four years and is bottled with minimal sulphur when the moon is descending. Displaying both...
2020
SestiBrunello di Montalcino
La Fiorita, Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2020
Despite forgoing its ‘NO’ bottling in 2020, La Fiorita proposes its single-vineyard Riserva, which hails from a southeast-facing site on galestro-strewn clay. Profusely fragrant, it...
2020
La FioritaBrunello di Montalcino
La Palazzetta, Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2020
Featuring the estate’s oldest vines, the Riserva hails from a single vineyard planted in 1972 and sees long ageing in French oak barrels. While decidedly...
2020
La PalazzettaBrunello di Montalcino
Molino di Sant'Antimo, Polis Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2020
Valeria Vittori muses that this is more of a single-vineyard selection than a Riserva as it was bottled at the same time as her annata...
2020
Molino di Sant'AntimoBrunello di Montalcino
Podere Brizio, Bosco Alto Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2020
Sitting just below thick forest, Bosco Alto is the estate’s highest parcel, reaching 350m. Here the limestone-rich subsoil arrives close to the surface, and this...
2020
Podere BrizioBrunello di Montalcino
