Brunello di Montalcino is Italy’s most majestic red wine — a Sangiovese of such extraordinary depth, complexity, and longevity that it stands comparison with the greatest wines of the world, and that has been produced on the sun-drenched hillsides around the medieval hilltop town of Montalcino in southern Tuscany for over a century and a half. Made exclusively from Sangiovese Grosso — known locally as Brunello — and aged for a minimum of five years before release, including at least two in oak, Brunello di Montalcino is a wine of quite exceptional structure and depth: powerful, complex, and built for the long haul, yet capable of a silkiness and elegance in its maturity that is one of the most beautiful things in all of Italian wine. Celestino Pecci is a small, artisan Montalcino producer of real character and conviction — a family estate making wines that express the true soul of this extraordinary appellation with an authenticity and precision that the larger, more commercial producers can rarely match. Their Brunello is a wine of genuine distinction: the 2018 vintage — widely regarded as one of the finest in recent Montalcino memory, combining the richness and concentration of a warm year with a freshness and balance that gives the wines exceptional longevity — is a Brunello of real power and elegance. Spicy, intense, and persistent on the nose, with harmonious vanilla hints that speak of careful oak ageing; on the palate it is generous and rich, with the well-structured, refined tannins that are the hallmark of great Brunello and a finish of extraordinary length and complexity. A wine that will continue to evolve and reward patience for many years to come — yet drinking beautifully right now. At £66.99, it is Brunello di Montalcino at its most authentic and compelling.