The first wine in our 2021 Brunello campaign is a longtime Artisan favorite from the warm south of Montalcino: Piancornello. Silky, velvety and fragrant, and $54.99 a bottle by the half-case.

$54.99 by the Half-Case · Certified Organic · Family Since 1950

On Piancornello

“One of my favorite under-the-radar estates in Montalcino.”

— Antonio Galloni

The 2021 Brunello di Montalcino Vintage

A Generational Shift for Brunello.

The greatest Brunellos we have tasted, and a vintage we believe is on track to outperform 2016.

A Personal Note

Dear Artisans,

For two decades, Christine and I have been proud to bring you the greatest Brunello releases at the best prices we can find. We still remember the hits: the 2006s, the 2007s, 2010, 2015, the magical 2016s, and more recently 2019.

We honestly did not think any vintage would come close to 2016. Then we tasted the 2021s. These are the most exciting Brunellos we have tasted, and we believe this vintage is on track to surpass it.

What 2021 Tastes Like

James Suckling put it best in his vintage report: “There is something unmistakably classical about Brunello di Montalcino 2021. The wines have an almost old-fashioned charm, with fresh, graceful aromatics that recall balanced vintages of the past such as 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2004.”

In the glass, the best of them are so elegant they feel almost weightless, yet they carry incredibly fine tannins and a structure you sense more than feel. At the core is everything great Sangiovese should be: black cherry, blood orange and flowers.

What Happened in the Vineyard

A rainy spring filled the soils with water. Then frosts on April 7, 8 and 15 cut yields by as much as a third in some vineyards. A warm, dry May gave way to a long, dry summer, warmer than 2020. Crucially, no rain fell in September, so growers could pick exactly when their grapes were ready.

Smaller crops, and no weather forcing the harvest. That is where the concentration and the balance come from.

Why the Price Is Right

Even with tariffs on European wine, we bought our 2021s ahead of their arrival, and we are passing that pre-arrival pricing straight on to you. Buying early is how we keep a vintage this good within reach.

Our First 2021: Piancornello

We are starting the campaign with a longtime Artisan favorite. If you love the silky, velvety richness of Casanova di Neri and the perfume of Siro Pacenti, Piancornello lands right between the two: rich, creamy, fragrant and smooth.

A detail we love: Siro Pacenti’s own southern vineyard, which goes into his Pelagrilli and his Vecchie Vigne, is also called Piancornello.

James Tran

Artisan Wine & Spirits

The Estate

Four Generations on the Same Montalcino Hillside

In 1950, Zefiro Pieri fell for Montalcino and bought Piancornello: a farmhouse dating to the 1700s and the land around it. He planted the estate’s first Brunello vines himself.

For four decades the family sold its grapes to other producers. The first wine bottled under the Piancornello name came in 1991.

Today the estate is run by Claudio Monaci and his wife Silvia Batazzi, who plan to hand it on to their two daughters, the fourth generation. The vineyards sit in the Sesta zone between Sant’Angelo in Colle and Castelnuovo dell’Abate, on steep, stony hillsides looking out to Mount Amiata. It is certified organic, and one of the original organic estates in Montalcino.

Why This Matters

The First 2021 · Our Allocation

2021 Piancornello Brunello di Montalcino

Silky, velvety and fragrant, from the warm southern slopes of Montalcino.

2021 Piancornello Brunello di Montalcino

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG · 100% Sangiovese · Sesta Zone

Raspberry, red cherry and a touch of smoke and balsam on the nose. The palate is juicy and fragrant, with crunchy tannins, bright acidity and a long, chalky finish. Vinous found real depth underneath, dried black cherry, crushed stone and licorice among it. Decant it now or cellar it; Suckling has it best from 2027.

The Riserva

2019 Piancornello Brunello di Montalcino Riserva

From a vintage Wine Spectator rates 98, aged five years before release.

2019 Piancornello Brunello di Montalcino Riserva

Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG · 100% Sangiovese

The Riserva comes from a clone with smaller bunches and smaller berries, and it cannot be released until five years after the harvest, with at least two of them in cask. 2019 is a vintage Wine Spectator rates 98, and one James Suckling singles out for long-term aging. Expect red and black cherry, smoke and dried flowers over velvety, structured tannins.

More 2021 Brunello

Two More 2021 Brunello Offers

The 2021s from both houses are in stock now. Tap through for the full story on each.

Siro Pacenti · The Maverick of Montalcino

The 2021 Vecchie Vigne and Pelagrilli

2021 Vecchie Vigne

Casanova di Neri · Est. 1971

The 2021 White Label, and More From the Neri Family

2021 White Label

The Bottom Line

A 99-point vintage. A four-generation estate. $59.99.

2021 is the vintage we have been waiting for since 2016, and Piancornello is exactly where we wanted to start: honest, organic, family-made Brunello with the silky richness our Artisans love, at a price that leaves room to buy a few.

Take six and it is $54.99 a bottle. More 2021s are on the way, and this is the first of them.

Cheers,

— James Tran

Owner · Artisan Wine & Spirits · Mountain View

Take Your Pick

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