Top-Tier Praise & Best Pricing: 2019 Talenti Brunello

2019 Talenti Brunello di Montalcino ($53.99)

94 points Jeb Dunnuck: "Displaying a youthful red/magenta color, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino is sunny and inviting with aromas of sweet berries and some blue fruit coming through on the nose, along with violets, cola, and pine. Approachable and open, it has a medium to full-bodied frame, plush tannins, and a rounded mid-palate. It displays good length and is a great offering that can be enjoyed now or over the next 10-15 years. This is a super solid value, and I would gladly enjoy it on my table. (AF)" (02/2024)

94 points Wine Advocate: "In the bottle with the black label, the Talenti 2019 Brunello di Montalcino (with 35,000 bottles produced) is a wine of above average intensity, and it shows a steady delivery of dark aromas with blackcurrant, pitted plum, potting soil and a pungent fragrance that recalls black baccara rose. This is a rich and open-knit Brunello with velvety tannins and a full-bodied mouthfeel. This is your proverbial meat-and-potatoes Brunello to serve on a winter evening (a few years from now). (ML)" (12/2023)

94 points Vinous: "The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino opens slowly with a blend of savory herbs, worn leather, dried roses and cinnamon-dusted currants. This flows across the palate with textures of pure silk, racy yet refined, with a seamless wave of ripe red fruits that slowly saturate toward the close. It finishes long and staining yet harmonious. Crunchy tannins frame the experience without slowing its momentum as licorice and orange notes gradually fade. (EG)" (12/2023)

94 points Wine Spectator: "Ripe, sweet cherry, raspberry and iron flavors highlight this firm, succulent red, which is big on personality, with a broad swath of tannins matched by vibrant acidity and persistent fruit. This is balanced overall, with a long, resonant aftertaste. (BS)" (06/2024)

94 points Decanter: "From vineyards on Montalcino’s southeast and southwest slopes, Talenti's estate Brunello is an amalgam of varying altitudes and soils. The 2019 spent a bit longer in wood than is typical as owner Riccardo Talenti felt that the lower lying, more southerly areas gave slightly coarse tannins. It is less effusive than usual, with mineral and ferruginous notes taking the lead. As it opens, dried mint and fennel emerge. Full-bodied and full-fruited, the palate offers great depth of expressive red berries and stony earth nuances. Ripe yet grippy tannins are tightly woven. (MM)" (11/2023)

2019 Talenti "Piero" Brunello di Montalcino ($118.99)

98 points Kerin O'Keefe: "From a single vineyard situated 410m above sea level, Talenti's 2019 Brunello Piero is a stunner, starting with its heady aromas of dog rose, iris, camphor, new leather and spiced blueberry. Full-bodied and loaded with finesse, the palate is polished and enveloping, delivering plum cake, ripe raspberry, cinnamon and minty notes alongside velvety tannins. While its already delicious, it will continue to evolve and offer years of immense pleasure. What a fabulous wine." (11/2023)

96 points Vinous: "The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Piero is impossible to ignore, slowly blossoming with an enticing blend of spice-dusted blackberries, violet pastille and orange zest. This impresses further with its vividly ripe wild berry fruits and juicy acidity. Tactile mineral tones add contrast, and rosy inner florals form toward the close. The 2019 lingers impossibly long, taking on a spicy edge, as the palate is left reverberating with zesty tension, even as fine-grained tannins grip the senses. The Piero is already showing such flamboyancy and balance. It will be a thrilling Brunello to follow over the next two decades. (EG)" (11/2023)

96 points Decanter: "This selection hails from a two-hectare vineyard at 410 metres with rocky sandstone at the surface. Riccardo Talenti says that no matter what the conditions, it always gives the estates best fruit. Aged in tonneaux, Piero opens with intense coffee melding into wood spice inflections of clove and nutmeg. The mouth-filling palate progresses with a sweet/savoury character as gamey leather infuses dark fleshy red cherry. The tannins are grainy and substantial but ripe, and it's begging for a couple more years to come together. (MM)" (11/2023)

95 points Wine Spectator: "A vibrant red, whose vivid acidity propels rose, kirsch, raspberry and mineral aromas and flavors to a lingering conclusion. This is sleek and balanced, with a graceful feel and a long, fruit- and mineral-infused aftertaste. (BS)" (06/2024)