by Umberto Gambino
The curtain falls on the 34th edition of Benvenuto Brunello , the traditional annual event that presents the new vintages of Brunello di Montalcino 2021 and Riserva 2020, as well as Rosso di Montalcino 2024, Moscadello and Sant’Antimo which will be on sale to the public starting January 1, 2026. The Brunello di Montalcino Wine Consortium, which organizes the event, has had a positive outcome: over two thousand total participants and the presence of 123 wineries with more than 370 labels for tasting.
The first two days of Benvenuto Brunello were dedicated exclusively to technical tastings, dinners at several wineries, and tours of the area for approximately 100 journalists from nine countries. This was followed by three days of “walk-around tastings” open to the public, which attracted a large turnout of restaurant professionals and sommeliers, both Italian and international. Let’s now take a look at the 2021 vintage of Brunello di Montalcino.
A Surprising Vintage: The Profile of the 2021 Brunello di Montalcino
Vintage 2021 Brunello di Montalcino stands out as a “fragrant,” “defined,” and “vertical” vintage. The profile of the new vintage was defined using “Brunello Forma”, an innovative qualitative and stylistic evaluation method developed by the Brunello di Montalcino Wine Consortium. Analysis of this vintage highlights a floral and aromatic character, precise and layered. This is a highly balanced Brunello, where aromas, alcohol, and tannins harmonize naturally, suggesting a promising evolution over time.
The “Brunello Forma” Method
Introduced last year, “Brunello Forma”
The Consortium has changed the way vintages are evaluated, moving beyond the traditional star system in favor of a more qualitative approach. According to Giacomo Bartolommei , president of the Brunello di Montalcino Wine Consortium , this approach allows the personality of Sangiovese to be best expressed. The 2021 evaluation highlighted a harmonious and elegant vintage, with excellent aging potential and already very positive market response. The Consortium’s commission conducted an internal tasting session, followed by blind tastings by an international panel of eight Masters of Wine : Gabriele Gorelli and Andrea Lonardi for Italy, Justin Knock and Michelle Cherutti-Kowal for the United Kingdom, Tone Veseth Furuholmen (Norway), Sarah Heller (Hong Kong), Christophe Heynen (Belgium), and Christy Canterbury (USA). The tastings involved 58 Brunello DOCG samples representing 30 estates, selected based on acreage, cultivation regime, location, altitude, and production volume, covering 50% of total production. The “Brunello Forma” system benefited from the expansion of weather stations (60 stations, a 54% increase over 2020) and the optimization of analysis models for heat waves and water stress, thus creating a historical reference average.
Characteristics of the 2021 vintage (according to the international panel)
Fragrant. In the glasses the tasters found themselves
faced with several examples of Brunello with these characteristics: floral and aromatic aromas, with notes of peach, fresh and crisp red cherry, spices, and hints of Mediterranean scrub. A wine with a well-defined character, with precise fruit management and a vibrant structure that result in a drinkable yet complex sip.
Defined. The 2021 vintage stands out for its balance between aromatic concentration, alcohol, and tannins. The season, although very dry (-36% compared to the historical average), saw slightly above-average rainfall in the key months for Sangiovese. Brief heatwaves favored well-rounded wines, without excessive ripeness or tannic rigidity, confirming their elegance and finesse.
Vertical: The 2021 Brunello displays a slender and deep structure, faithful to the Sangiovese heritage. Tannins with a chalky or sandy texture, dynamic, highlight different styles and terroirs. On the palate, a lingering aftertaste and a predisposition for positive evolution are evident. A guarantee of virtuous aging.
2021 Harvest: agronomic analysis
The vintage was characterized by the absence of extreme heat and physiological stress. Two anomalies marked the season: a colder spring, with a significant frost on April 8, and a dry and hot September. The summer was the second driest in the last thirty years. With only two rainfall events exceeding 20 mm, but no particularly high temperatures. The main factors of the vintage were the spring frost, which delayed the growing season and in some cases reduced production, and moderate temperatures with strong temperature swings in a very dry season. However, these conditions did not compromise the physiology of the vines, allowing the described qualities to express themselves. The harvest took place between the second half of September and early October, with yields sometimes reduced due to frost and lack of rain.
Market dynamics: bottling and promotion
In the final two months, bottled Brunello di Montalcino volumes showed a clear realignment with the previous year’s figures (-0.9%). In particular, the final month saw significant growth, with over 1.9 million bottle equivalents, 39% more than in October 2024. In the first ten months, 7.63 million bottles were bottled, close to the 7.69 million in 2024. The new 2021 vintage has already seen a spike in interest, exceeding 2.1 million bottle equivalents. According president Bartolommei, this figure represents an important indicator for the market, demonstrating a recovery after a difficult few months. The Consortium is also planning a new promotional program for the appellation, with initiatives in the United States and other markets to diversify business opportunities, scheduled to begin in 2026. Also noteworthy is the strong growth of Rosso di Montalcino : in the first ten months, nearly 4 million bottles were delivered, a 29% increase over the previous year. The 2024 vintage was presented at Benvenuto Brunello.
Watch the video interview with President Bartolommei here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl-p-JwgOFI
Our thoughts on the new vintages
From Brunello di Montalcino we expect
always the best, and no drop in quality is tolerated under any circumstances. For producers, always meticulous in their journey from vineyard to cellar to bottle, the game that leads to the final wine is always played to the maximum of their ability and allows no distractions. Therefore, even for the 2021 vintage, despite the April frost and the very hot summer, expectations were very high and they were not disappointed. The Sangiovese stood up to the test of the weather remarkably. What were the results of the tastings? We enjoyed many bottles, some of them absolutely excellent, but the wines tasted in these November days did not always prove ready. I found, in quite a few cases, aromas not yet fully developed, incomplete bouquets, spicy and smoky notes due to the evident imprint of the oak, noble tannins with textures still settling, and sometimes excessive alcohol levels. However, overall, I found a common thread of freshness, savory flavor, and elegance in almost all the wines I tasted, with the fruit clearly evident. More often than not , wines from a specific vineyard were better and more drinkable than the base wines. This was in full respect of the climate zones and terroir: more structure and concentration for wines from the southern slopes; greater breadth and quality of aromas and a more balanced palate for Brunellos from the northern slopes. But there were also some positive exceptions that prove the rule.
A reflection on the Benvenuto Brunello event, impeccably organized, as it does every year, by the Consortium (it was the first time for the newly elected, very young president, Giacomo Bartolommei). A full 124 producers participated, but we cannot ignore the illustrious absentees, either by choice or because they disagreed with the Consortium’s policies: missing, among others, were Biondi Santi, Casanova di Neri, Il Marroneto, Le Ragnaie, Castelgiocondo (Frescobaldi), Altesino (Gnudi Angelini), Baricci, Cerbaia, Pieve Santa Restituta (Gaja), Podernuovo (Bulgari), Salvioni, and Siro Pacenti. Quite a few. And quite a few of them were asking for the preview to return to February. Perhaps a serious attempt to bring them back to “Benvenuto Brunello” should be made.
My best tastings of the 2021 vintage
Argiano
Banfi – Banfi Castle
Banfi – Marrucheto Vineyard
Banfi – Poggio Alle Mura
Camigliano – Unexpected Landscape
Hut
Hut – Nicco
Caparzo
Casanuova delle Cerbaie
Casisano
Hermitage Castle – Silk Thread 
Castiglion del Bosco
Castiglion del Bosco – Dragon Field
Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona – Pianrosso Vineyard
Col di Lamo
Col di Lamo – To Diletta
Col d’Orcia
Pavone Court – Campo Marzio
Cortonesi – Poggiarelli
Donatella Cinelli Colombini – Vigna Prime Donne
Fattoi – Vallocchio
Barbi Farm
Barbi Farm – Vineyard of the Flower
Franco Pacenti – Rosildo
Fuligni
Gianni Brunelli The SottoGiodo Locks
Giodo Pretto
The Poggione – Paganelli Vineyard
The Furnace
The Gerla – The Parish Church
The Rasina – Persante
The Locks
Mastrojanni – Loreto Vineyard
Mastrojanni – Donkey’s Back Vineyard
Plain of the Vineyards
Podere Le Ripi – Love and Magic
San Lorenzo
Le Potazzine Estate
Silvio Nardi Estates
Tiezzi – Three Oaks
Tiezzi – Vigna Soccorso
Villa I Cipressi – Zebras
The best tastings of the 2020 Brunello Riserva
Banfi Poggio alle Mura – Reserve
Camigliano – Gualto Reserve
Campogiovanni – Reserve
Hut – Reserve
Col d’Orcia – Vigna Nastagio (released a year later)
Col d’Orcia – Lot.1 (released a year later)
Barbi Farm – Reserve
The Furnace – Reserve
The Magic – Reserve
Lisini – Ugolaia (released a year later)
Lisini – Reserve
Podere Le Ripi – Wolves and Sirens Reserve
Poggio di Sotto – Reserve
Sesti – Phenomena Reserve
Talents – Pian di Conte Reserve
Old vintage citation: Corte Pavone – Pian di Meliloto 2016