1998 Conti Costanti Brunello di Montalcino

Conti Costanti is a historic, 30-acre estate in the eastern edge of Montalcino. The Costanti family has been in Montalcino since the 16th century, and they are part of the region’s aristocracy. Andrea Costanti, who now runs the estate, took the reins from his uncle, Count Emilio, in 1983. Count Emilio had made dramatic improvements to the estate and made Conti Costanti’s Brunellos some of the region’s best. The estate makes about 60,000 bottles a year. Gambero Rosso wrote in 2016 that the Brunellos produced by Andrea “are to all intents and purposes noble wines. Not only because of the Costanti family’s ancestors, but mainly due to the aristocratic expressive features evident for over 30 years in the Sangioveses nurtured by Andrea.” Vinous notes that “the property remains a reference point for Brunello.”

Brunello di Montalcino is regarded as one of Italy’s best appellations. Located in south central Tuscany below Chianti, the wines of Brunello di Montalcino DOCG are made of a Sangiovese clone called “brunello,” which means “little dark one,” a reference to the brown tones in the skin of the grape. Unlike some Tuscan appellations that allow other grapes to be blended with Sangiovese, Brunello di Montalcino is entirely Sangiovese. Montalcino itself is a picturesque, hill-top town not especially well known for wine production until the mid-19th century, when a local vineyard owner isolated the brunello clone and planted it. Other growers followed suit. Nevertheless it wasn’t until 1970s that wine enthusiasts started paying attention to Brunello di Montalcino, which by then was becoming an outstanding wine. Today there are 120 estates in the DOCG, up from about 25 estates in 1975. Brunellos in general are bigger, darker, more tannic and more powerful wines than Chiantis or most other Sangioveses. By law they must be aged for four years, and two of those years must be in wooden barrels.