14.5% ABV
Sangiovese Wine
Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy
The King of Italian Wine
To understand what makes Brunello di Montalcino Riserva so compelling, you must start with Sangiovese. Italy’s most widely planted red grape is the backbone of Tuscan wine, part of everything from simple everyday bottles to the ones you find in Total Wine’s “Fine & Rare” section. That’s because Sangiovese is a family of grapes, not a single varietal. In Montalcino, the local clone—known as Brunello, from the Italian for dark or brown—has thicker skin, ripens later, and ages with unusual grace.
Montalcino sits in southern Tuscany, about 25 miles south of Siena. The medieval town clings to a ridge more than 1,600 feet above the Val d’Orcia, in a zone that’s warmer and drier than most of Chianti. Elevation, sun exposure, and well‑drained volcanic and calcareous soils combine to give Sangiovese a long, even growing season. The grapes can ripen fully yet still retain the acidity and structure that have let Brunello age so well for decades.
Brunello di Montalcino was the first Italian wine awarded DOCG status—Italy’s highest quality designation—in 1980. Its rulebook is famously strict. Brunello must be 100% Sangiovese from within the appellation and must age at least five years before release, two of them in oak. To be labeled Riserva, the designation on this Renieri bottling adds another year, bringing the total to a minimum of six years.
That extra year matters. The standard 2019 Brunellos were already on shelves when this 2019 Riserva was still resting in oak and bottle. The additional time doesn’t just polish the edges; it pushes the wine from merely drinkable to fully formed.
From Fashion to the Finest Slopes in Montalcino
Marco Bacci, born in Florence in 1959, began his professional life in the fashion industry. Wine never stopped calling, though. In 1984, he bought Castello di Bossi in Chianti Classico and released his first vintage the very next year. What started as a side project slowly became the main story. By the late 1990s, he had left fashion behind and focused on building Bacci Wines, a group of organically farmed Tuscan estates across several top appellations.
Renieri, which Bacci acquired in 1997, was a key piece of that vision. The estate sits in the southern sector of the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG on slopes facing Monte Amiata, the ancient volcanic mass that dominates the southern Tuscan skyline. The property covers 128 hectares, with 30 under vine.
Soon after taking over, Bacci cleared the older vineyards and replanted. In 1998, new Sangiovese vines went in—six different clones, matched to the property after a detailed soil study—at a tight density of 6,000 plants per hectare. Yields are limited to roughly one kilogram of fruit per plant, effectively one bottle per vine, concentrating character and complexity.
Renieri’s soils are a mosaic: volcanic debris, limestone, red clay, and tuff. This patchwork gives the wines a distinctive mineral line and depth that stand out even within Brunello. The winery is built almost entirely underground, an understated, functional design that uses gravity for gentle grape handling and the earth’s natural insulation to maintain stable aging conditions.
The estate achieved organic certification in 2017, and today the operation runs on renewable energy. The long‑term approach has delivered serious results. The Renieri Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2010 ranked among the top three wines in the world in its vintage; the 2015 Brunello reached second in international rankings. The 2019 Riserva—drawn from a harvest many consider one of Montalcino’s recent benchmarks—belongs in that same elite tier.
Pairing by: Erik Calviño
Tasting Notes: Renieri Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2019
The 2019 Riserva pours ruby red with a touch of garnet at the rim. The nose is layered and complex: black cherry and dried cranberry with notes of tobacco, and a mineral smokiness. With time and air, dried rose petals emerge.
On the palate, the wine is full and structured, with the chalky, gripping tannins. Concentrated dark cherry and black currant are joined by mocha and earth tones with a long, savory finish. Like all great Sangiovese wines, there is a prominent acidity present throughout. Make sure to decant the wine before enjoying.
Cigar Pairing: Davidoff Aniversario
The Davidoff Aniversario opens with an elegant combination of lightly toasted nuts, cedar, sweet spice, and dried fruit. The wine adds a beautiful “jamminess” to the profile, elevating the cigar to a higher level. Conversely, the wine’s darker earth and mocha flavors are toned down but the tannin structure holds true throughout the smoke.
