Ryan Robinson, Director of Education, Brescome Barton and Worldwide Wines.
A Buyer’s Vintage
By Ryan Robinson, Advanced Sommelier-CMS, WSET Diploma and WSET Educator
Every so often, Brunello delivers a vintage that quietly resets expectations. It is no bigger, bolder, or riper … just better balanced than previous iterations. The 2021 vintage of Brunello di Montalcino that is set for release this year, is one of those vintages that presents a rare opportunity: A classic expression of Sangiovese that feels both traditional and perfectly aligned with where the market is headed.
Before we dive into why the new 2021 release matters, it’s worth stepping back and reminding ourselves what Brunello actually is. At only 2,100 ha (about 5,200 acres) of Sangiovese vines, this appellation doesn’t leave much room for shortcuts. Brunello di Montalcino must be made from 100% Sangiovese.
More nitty-gritty, wine from this appellation is made using a sangiovese biotype that was identified by Ferruccio Biondi-Santi in the late 1800s, locally known as the Brunello clone, which is now grown exclusively within the Montalcino zone. The wines require a minimum of five years aging before release, including at least two years in oak and four months in bottle. Riserva pushes that to six years. This long aging requirement means Brunello is always a delayed reflection of the past, not a reaction to current trends.
With five years of mandatory aging, the current release is the 2021 vintage. This last November I had the opportunity to taste the vintage at Benvenuto Brunello 2025 in Montalcino…three days of tasting as a guest of the Consorzio del vino Brunello di Montalcino. The vintage was defined by an absence of extremes. There was no prolonged summer heat plateau, no aggressive over ripeness, and no stress-driven sugar spikes. Instead, the growing season began with a cooler-than-average spring, a very dry year overall, and a notably warm and dry September that allowed grapes to reach full phenolic maturity without sacrificing acidity. For buyers, that combination translates directly into wines that feel composed rather than forced.
The chosen descriptors for the 2021 vintage, recently replacing the star rating system, are fragrant, refined, and slender. These terms are not marketing fluff; rather they’re stylistic cues that matter on the retail store and at the table.
Fragrant, first of all, means aromatic lift. This vintage shows red cherry, crunchy raspberry, dried rose, and subtle Mediterranean herbs rather than dark fruit or oak-driven notes. The wines open easily, even in their youth, which is critical for restaurants that need bottles to show well without years of cellaring. Broadly speaking, they are expressive on the nose, inviting rather than intimidating and that alone makes them easier to sell by the glass or bottle recommendation.
Refined speaks to balance. Despite being the second driest growing season in the past thirty years, rainfall during the critical summer months was just enough to avoid vine shutdown, while heat waves were brief and controlled Alcohol, tannin, and acidity land in harmony. For retail buyers, this means Brunello 2021 avoids the “too much” problem that has challenged some recent vintages for casual consumers. For restaurants, it means a wine that pairs cleanly with food rather than dominating it.
And then there is the final descriptor, slender, a word rarely used for Brunello. It is incredibly important here and is not meant to be derogatory…which, on the surface isn’t how I’d normally describe Brunello. Slender doesn’t mean light or dilute. It means vertical. The tannins in 2021 are present but finely textured, often chalky or sandy rather than aggressive. The wines move upward on the palate, not outward. That structure gives them aging potential while still allowing early approachability. From a buying standpoint, this is the sweet spot, wines that can be sold young with confidence and still reward customers who cellar them.
Of the wines that I tasted from across the appellation, the common factor was consistency. These results point to a vintage where site expression and producer style shine through rather than being masked by climatic excess. That’s good news for buyers working with both large, recognizable names and smaller, terroir-driven estates.
So how should buyers think about positioning Brunello 2021? For retail, this is a vintage to hand-sell with confidence. It appeals to the traditional Brunello consumer who values elegance, but it’s also accessible to newer drinkers who may have been intimidated by more muscular years. Describing it as “classic, aromatic, and balanced” resonates far better right now than “big” or “powerful.” For restaurants, 2021 is a list-builder. The wines work with food earlier, they don’t require decanting gymnastics, and they align beautifully with modern menus that emphasize restraint and ingredient-driven cooking. These wines do not need the fuss that normally accompanies Brunello when released to make them more enjoyable.
The reality check is that the Brunello 2021 vintage arrives at a moment when wine consumption is slowing, but quality-driven purchasing is not. Guests may be drinking fewer bottles, but they’re choosing more carefully. This vintage delivers authenticity, age-worthiness, and clarity of expression. This combination is exactly what today’s buyers should be looking for. Brunello doesn’t need reinvention. It just needs vintages like 2021 that remind us why it mattered in the first place. Fragrant, refined, and slender isn’t a compromise. It’s a return to form.
Ryan Robinson is the Director of Education for Brescome-Barton Inc., and Worldwide Wines in Connecticut, an Adjunct Professor at the University of New Haven, and is the Principal at SommCentric, a beverage education and consulting agency. He is a member on the USA Wine Tasting Team, representing the United States and the World Wine Tasting Championships and holds the credentials of Advanced Sommelier-CMS; WSET Diploma and WSET Educator in Wine, Sake and Beer; Rioja Wine Educator; VIA Italian Wine Ambassador; Wine Scholar Guild Educator and Italian and Spanish Wine Specialist; and Certified Scotch Whisky.
