Salvioni, Brunello di Montalcino, Cerbaiola 2021

The 2021 Brunello di Montalcino is deeply complex and spicy, with a wild bouquet that blends orange shavings, sour cherries, rosemary and nuances of split pine. It possesses an impenetrable core of crunchy red berry fruits and mineral tones, with hints of clove adding a bitter bite under an air of violet inner florals. Youthfully dense yet refined, there is simply so much going on here, as tart cranberry blends with a saturation of fine tannins and inner rose tones swirl throughout. Nearly a minute goes by, and the 2021 can still be sensed through a tinge of licorice and lavender. This is a drop-dead gorgeous and radiant effort for Salvioni, with a bright future in store for patient collectors.

There are neither frills nor fuss at Salvioni’s Cerbaiola estate, and second-generation Alessia Salvioni is always refreshingly direct. She reports that harvest was very early in 2021 – at the beginning of September – as grapes were starting to raisin. The Brunello is the result of rigorous selection. It is a transparent expression of vintage while demonstrating the wisdom of the estate. Saturated in colour and full of vigour, it boasts pristine, beautifully formed fruit. Ripe and firm dark red cherry suffuses the core, and violet and lilac rise from its depths. An underlying salinity amps up the freshness while the sturdy frame gives confidence for ageing. Great energy – and it carries its alcohol with grace.

The Salvioni 2021 Brunello di Montalcino La Cerbaiola opens quickly and gains clarity with each swirl, settling into a place of elegance and classical Sangiovese harmony. Dark fruit forms the core, framed by mineral tones and lifted floral highlights, and the palate carries this vintage forward with grace, revealing a delicate Sangiovese sweetness intertwined with subtle peppery spice and tart blood orange. Despite its 15% alcohol, the wine remains transparent and finely tuned, supported by beautifully managed tannins that are both firm and silky. This is a production of 14,750 bottles.

Also tasted from barrel, the 2021 Brunello Di Montalcino La Cerbaiola takes on notes of blood orange, dark berries, and dark earth. Offering a noble structure with good acidity and a more angular feel, it has a good deal of tension up front and a long finish.