Siro Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne DOCG 2016
(Tuscany, Italy) - [RV 99] [JS 97] [JD 96] [WE 95] [VM 95] [WA 94] [WS 94]

About the Winery
Siro Pacenti started his eponymous estate in 1970 with the purchase of a five-hectare vineyard in the Canalicchio district just to the north of Montalcino. Named Pelagrilli, this vineyard also gives its name to their flagship wine. Since then the estate has grown to 60 hectares, but less than a third of that is given over to vineyards. The rest is olive groves and cereal fields, as has been the tradition here for literally thousands of years.  Less than 50,000 total bottles are produced in a given year, an absolutely tiny quantity by Montalcino standards, almost all (95%) is exported. 

Siro’s son Giancarlo Pacenti took the reins in 1988 and quickly established the estate as one of the leading names in the region.  Trained in Bordeaux, he fuses the best of modern cellar technology with progressive farming techniques, including biodynamic practices. The aim here is to arrive at the purest possible expression of the land.

Giancarlo insists on new oak for reasons of cleanliness: he emphatically does not want vanilla or clove flavors in his wines. The wood for his barrels is seasoned at least twenty years and barrels are given a very light toast. The Brunelli are bottled after 2 years in barrel to preserve freshness and avoid excessive oak influence (the Rosso spends 1 year in barrel).

Technical Data

Grapes: Sangiovese 100% coming from our vineyards of over 35 years old
Harvesting: Only by hand on a production for strain of 800/1.000 g., manual sorting of grapes on appropriate tables before and after the destemming
Wine-Making: In steel at controlled temperature
Aging: In french oak by 225 lt. for 24 months and then in bottle

Tasting Notes

Structured and elegant, with silky tannins and a long finish. This wine comes from two vineyards with vines over 35 years old; annual production is around 30,000 bottles.

Ratings & Reviews:

99 Points - Raffaele Vecchione - WinesCritic.com:
“Precision of execution and futuristic vision of an essential beauty make this incandescently pleasurable on the nose. The scents of red prunes blend with notes of hibiscus, geraniums and salted caramel. There is more in the background with notes of lavender and blueberries blended into the three-dimensional matrix which recollects hints of balsamic. Full bodied, tannins incredibly blended into the matrix which caress the palate and describe a growing parable of luminous essence. The finale is rich in pulp and juicy, centred and perfectly balanced. Better from 2022.”

97 Points - James Suckling:
”Such wonderful opulence and beauty. The nose shows dried flowers and minerals with blackberries and black cherries. Purity is the word. Full-bodied with incredible depth and structure and polished, silky tannins that envelop your palate. The length is really impressive.” (Oct 2020)

96 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"The 2016 Vecchie Vigne Brunello is introspective and complex on the nose, with tobacco, baked earth, dried black plum, cedar, and lavender. The palate is concentrated and brooding, with cola, balsamic black fruit, and tea leaf, and the wine is full-bodied, with chiseled structure, powerful tannin, and balanced acidity. Spending two years in French oak of 225 liters, the oak influence is present but has finesse and is well-integrated for the style. This wine warrants time in the cellar and will be fantastic drinking for those who gravitate to a more polished, modern style. 2025-2040." - Audrey Frick (Mar 2021)

95 Points - Wine Enthusiast:
"Menthol, new leather, French oak and spiced blueberry aromas come to the forefront. Full bodied and concentrated, the firmly structured palate delivers dried cherry, grilled Porcini, vanilla and licorice set against assertive, close-grained tannins before closing on a coconut note. Give it time to flesh out in the bottle. Drink 2026–2036." - Kerin O'Keefe (May 2021)

95 Points - Vinous Media:
“The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne from Siro Pacenti is dark and youthfully folded in upon itself. This pulls you closer to the glass, as it slowly reveals a nuanced display of olive-tinged blackberry and plum, with hints of mocha, balsamic spice and tanned leather. It’s deeply textural, with velvety waves of ripe black fruits laced with tactile minerals, propelled by vibrant acids which carry its medium-bodied weight with ease. Youthfully dense, poised and geared for the long term, the 2016 Vecchie Vigne will require a good amount of cellaring to show all of its charms. Hints of licorice and violet florals echo throughout the long and structured finale.” - Eric Guido (Nov 2020)

94 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"I tasted this wine from barrel a few years back, and it's great to follow up on its evolution. Looking back at my notes, I remarked on the generosity, depth and fruit-driven bounty of the Siro Pacenti 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne. Those are the same words I would use to describe the wine today. Indeed, they could sum up the house style that underlines concentration, careful berry selection and an elaborate oak regimen with new French barrique. Fruit from old vines represents a blend of two sites, one with rocky soils to the south and another with clay soils to the north. This wine opens to a nicely saturated appearance with dark berry, spice and tobacco. The wine is structured and firm, owning its tannins to both the fruit and the barrique. I do find the tannins to be astringent at this young stage, so I would hold off from opening this 25,000-bottle release for a long while. Like many of the other producers in Montalcino, Giancarlo Pacenti has captured the linearity and focus of the vintage, but his house style ultimately leaves a bigger mark on the fruit." - Monica Larner (Nov 2020)

94 Points - Wine Spectator:
"Broad and dense, this red reveals power behind the plum, cherry, earth, leather and underbrush flavors. Will need time to shed its beefy tannins, but the fruit keeps pace on the long finish. Best from 2025 through 2047. 1,800 cases made, 700 cases imported." - Bruce Sanderson (Jun 2021)