Brunello di Montalcino Giodo 2016 (750ML)

98 Points, Monica Larner, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "Upon meeting Carlo Ferrini for the first time some 15 years ago, I remember vividly when he described himself as a Sangiovesista, or an adherent of the school of Sangiovese. Many years later, and perhaps to cement that self-appointed moniker, the wine consultant has now settled in Montalcino, or the ultimate holy ground to Sangiovese. Ferrini has embarked on his Giodo estate (with beautiful vineyards and a newly inaugurated winery built precisely according to his technical specifications and wishes), creating his own temple to the mighty Tuscan grape. As a consultant, Ferrini has endured many stylistic transformations over the years, but the personality embraced in his 2016 Brunello di Montalcino celebrates varietal purity, balance and elegance, and I write those words free of hyperbole. Delicate forest berry fruits open to spice, forest floor and balsam herb. The wine presents a pretty wave of freshness, followed by firm tannins and enough fruity texture to smooth over the palate. This is a career-defining wine for this proud Sangiovesista. Production is 10,000 bottles. \n \nThe Ferrini family (Carlo and his daughter Bianca) finished the new Giodo winery and fermented the 2020 in the new building. They also planted one additional hectare of Sangiovese to make an IGT wine in a few years to be called La Quinta." 11/20

100 Points, James Suckling: [#15 Wine of the Year] "Seamless is a great way to describe this red wine with intense aromas of plums, cherries, walnut and sandalwood. Some lightly toasted oak, roses and lavender as well. Really aromatic. The palate is full and extremely polished with super fine tannins that go on for minutes and spread across your palate. A great wine, following the perfect, 100-point 2015. Better to start drinking this after 2023."

95 Points, Jane Anson, Decanter: "The personal project of the brilliant Carlo Ferrini, celebrating the pleasures of Sangiovese in a marked departure from the Cabernet and Merlot dominant wines that made his name as a consultant. This shows the higher acidity of Sangiovese, balancing sun-baked rosemary and firm plum and raspberry flavours, with lift, succulence and white pepper edging. Delicate and fragrant, with floral edging and a punch of tar and mocha on the finish. The 5ha of vines for Giodo are planted in Montalcino, producing 15,000 bottles each year."

99 Points, Raffaele Vecchione, International Wine Report: "Giodo Brunello di Montalcino is the wine that comes closest to being perfectly crafted, with its aristocratic and even almost snobbish profile, which is impressively fresh on the palate. It is the beauty of its simplicity of execution that makes it extremely complex and fascinating. Everything is in the right place, making for its extremely appealing style. The silky tannins and juicy fruit are impressive and confirm what the nose had already suggested: real fruit juice on the palate, where the alcohol is perfectly masked by - and melds with - the wine’s other elements." 11/20

100 Points, Luca Gardini, Gardini Notes: "A wine project of great substance behind a bottle of extraordinary intensity \nthat benefits from a light maceration on the skins. Alcohol-infused marasca cherries and fresh bay leaf on the nose. The mouth is crunchy, dense with salty tannins. A balsamic note reappearing on the finish." 11/20