Conti Costanti Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2017 [1.5 L Magnum]
(Tuscany, Italy) - [WE 97] [DM 94] [VM 93] [WA 93]

About the Winery:
The noble Costanti family goes all the way back to the fifteenth century. One of several famous counts, Tito Costanti was a lawyer and winemaker, and was one of the very first to use the name Brunello for the celebrated Montalcino red. At present, the sole living descendant of the Sienese family, Andrea Costanti, carries the torch, strengthening the family’s reputation for making top wines with great innovation. His aim has always been to create elegant, complex and long-lasting wines that bring out the best of the terroir. Andrea achieved this by relying on his own excellent instinct for wine, and an in-depth knowledge of the terrain’s geological components. From vineyards located near the town of Montalcino, about 310 and 440 meters (1,020-1,445 feet) above sea level with southwestern exposure and galestro soil. The location, microclimate, power and intensity of Montalcino are combined with the elegance of these elevated vineyards. Fermentation takes place on the skins in temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks, lasting approximately two weeks. Andrea’s Brunello ages eighteen months in Slavonian oak barrels, eighteen months in French tonneaux and at least twelve months in bottle.

Tasting Notes:
Deep ruby red with brilliant garnet reflections, the bouquet is rich, ample and intense with notes of brushwood, berries, plums, violets, spices and vanilla confirmed on the palate; wonderful elegance and balance, lush concentration, voluptuous body and silky, smooth tannins. Shows power and finesse all at once.

Food Pairing: 
A wonderful accompaniment to red meat, stews, complex dishes and aged cheese.

Technical Data

Grape Varieties: 100% Sangiovese
Fermentation container: Stainless steel
Length of alcoholic fermentation: About 2 weeks
Type of yeast: Select
Fermentation temperature: 16-18 °C (60.8-64.4 °F)
Length of maceration: 14 days
Malolactic fermentation: Yes
Aging containers: Tonneaux
Container size: 900 L
Type of oak: Allier and Slavonian
Bottling period: February 
Aging before bottling: 36 months
Aging in bottle: 12 months

Ratings & Reviews

97 Points - Wine Enthusiast Magazine:
"Extremely elegant and focused, this compelling wine defies the heat of the vintage, starting with a heady fragrance of ripe dark-skinned berries, violet, camphor, dark spice and whiffs of crushed herbs. On the linear, elegantly structured palate, tightly woven but extremely polished tannins accompany juicy Marasca cherry, blood orange, licorice and white pepper while fresh acidity keeps it balanced and fresh. Drink 2025–2032." – Kerin O’Keefe (4/1/2022)

94 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"Andrea Costanti has crafted an appetising and characterful 2017, expressive without being over-exuberant or pushed. He reports doing more extraction than usual, with extended post-fermentation macerations as skins were thick and healthy. The tannins are textured and gritty without being green or bitter. While this doesn’t have the profoundness of 2016 or the silkiness of 2015 there is much charm in its vigour. Polished wood, subtle smoke, plum and bay leaf emerge from a backdrop of dry, dusty earth while concentrated acidity keeps it vibrant. One of the stars of the vintage." – Michaela Morris (Nov 2021)

93 Points - Vinous Media:
"An alluring, spicy and dusty mix of cherry and raspberry preserves, crushed stone and dusty flowers is lifted by cedar shavings and dried citrus peels as the majestic 2017 Brunello di Montalcino blossoms in the glass. This is fleshy yet delicate in feel, displaying pure ripe red berry fruit, nicely contrasted by salty mineral tones, and lacking only a bit of midpalate depth that might take it to the next level. It tapers off long while leaving the mouth watering for more, as a gentle tug of tannin slowly fades under rosy inner florals. Andrea Costanti didn’t produce a Riserva in 2017, and so all of that juice was used to try to bolster the Brunello. From what I’ve tasted, I’d say he succeeded." – Eric Guido (Dec 2021)

93 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"The Conti Costanti 2017 Brunello di Montalcino is nicely layered and concentrated, with an immediate delivery of black fruit, spice and potting soil. This vintage shows a savory personality more than it shows a sweet one, and the tannins are quite soft and velvety. This is an open-knit Brunello from a hot and dry vintage to drink in the medium-term." – Monica Larner (Feb 2022)