If Brunello di Montalcino is the grand, age-worthy expression of Montalcino’s Sangiovese Grosso — built for the cellar, demanding patience, rewarding those who wait — then Rosso di Montalcino is its more immediate, more approachable, and in many ways more joyful younger sibling: the same noble grape, the same extraordinary terroir, the same artisan winemaking philosophy, but released earlier and with less oak ageing, so that the fruit is fresher, the tannins more supple, and the wine ready to give pleasure right now rather than in a decade’s time. It is one of the great bargains of the Italian wine world — a wine that carries the DNA of Brunello at a fraction of the price and with none of the waiting. Celestino Pecci is a small, artisan Montalcino estate of real character and conviction, making wines that express the true soul of this extraordinary hilltop town in southern Tuscany with an authenticity and precision that the larger, more commercial producers can rarely match. Their Rosso is a wine of genuine distinction: the 2021 vintage — a year of real quality in Montalcino, with the warmth and concentration of a fine Tuscan summer balanced by the freshness and structure that the altitude and the estate’s careful viticulture provide — is a Rosso of real depth and character. Intense aromas of dark fruit on the nose, with a beautifully integrated oaky character that adds warmth and complexity without ever overshadowing the fruit. On the palate, cherry and plum with a structured, persistent finish that speaks of the quality of the Sangiovese Grosso and the skill of the winemaking. The perfect introduction to Celestino Pecci — and to Montalcino itself. At £34.49, it is one of the most rewarding and characterful Italian reds in our range.