2011 Brunello di Montalcino, Conti Costanti, Tuscany, Italy

A black grape widely grown in Central Italy and the main component of Chianti and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano as well as being the sole permitted grape for the famed Brunello di Montalcino.

Costanti is one of the finest estates in Montalcino, producing very high-quality Brunellos that are elegant, complex and extremely long-lived. Andrea Costanti runs it in collaboration with consultant oenologist Vittorio Fiore. The estate is situated in Colle al Matrieche in the eastern zone of the Montalcino district and the 7 hectares of vineyards are located on a high ridge 400 metres above sea level. At harvest time Costanti employs a rigorous selection process which ensures that only the finest quality fruit is used. His Brunellos are typically backward, dense and fairly impenetrable in their youth. They require bottle ageing to show at their finest and, when fully mature, they are amongst the richest and most harmonious wines in the district, displaying copious amounts of dark cherry and blackberry fruit, bolstered by svelte and elegant tannins.