2018 Lisini, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG

Our hats go off to Lisini: This estate is part of Montalcino’s Old Guard, but they’re still plenty spry and ready to take on all comers. Having been mightily impressed with their intense 2017, we were even more excited about the elegance and typicity of this 2018. Quite simply, this is a benchmark producer at the top of its game—one of a handful of must-have Brunellos for anyone who’s serious about Sangiovese and not just label-chasing. Although Brunello di Montalcino is billed as one of the world’s most age-worthy red wines, the reality is that very few—and especially not the sappy, chunky, “modern” styles that were all the rage in the ’90s and 2000s—actually deliver in their old age. Lisini delivers. The wines capture the nerve and woodsy perfume of the Sangiovese grape and are aged in large Slavonian oak casks, leaving the more extracted, chocolatey, “international” style to others. This is as classic as Brunello gets, and it will serve you well for at least a decade to come. Stock