CastelGiocondo Brunello di Montalcino, Frescobaldi 2020 75cl
2020 was a warm, generous vintage in Montalcino, and CastelGiocondo — the Frescobaldi estate on the warmer south-western slopes of the hill — turns that ripeness into something poised rather than blowsy. It is 100% Sangiovese Grosso, the clone that gives Brunello its backbone.
The Frescobaldi family have been making wine in Tuscany for thirty generations, and they bought CastelGiocondo back in 1989 — one of the founding estates of the Brunello di Montalcino appellation. The site sits higher and cooler than much of Montalcino, which buys the fruit acidity and the tannins their spine. Long ageing in Slavonian oak does the rest.
Expect a deep ruby core and a nose that moves from baked black cherry and crushed plum into pine sap, violet, polished leather and a lick of star anise. The palate opens soft and velvety, then firms up: crunchy acidity keeps it lifted, dark chocolate and spiced orange run through a finish carried by fine, edgy tannins.
At £49.99 this is proper Brunello — a wine for the table and for time. It drinks well now with an hour in a decanter, but it will reward five to ten years in the cellar, and it is at its best from 2026 onwards. If you like traditional, savoury Sangiovese, this earns its place.
How to Serve
Serve at 16–18°C in a large-bowled glass. Decant young bottles for an hour or two to let the tannins settle and the aromatics unfurl.
Where to Drink It
Bibendum in South Kensington for a proper Italian dinner. Noble Rot Soho, where a wine list like this is treated with respect. The Wolseley for something more grand.
Food Pairings
The classic move is bistecca alla Fiorentina — a thick, rare rib of beef where the tannins meet the char. Failing that, a slow-braised beef shin with rosemary.
