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Tuesday, April 9th, 2025

The New 2020 Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Brunello is Here

Endless Praise for Their Most Profound Vintage YET!

"A profound wine with vibrancy and complexity... The attack is lush and ripe, with full body, velvety tannins, refreshing acidity... Real precision here."

96 Points - James Suckling

"Striking... intensely fragrant... Full-bodied and structured but also boasting weightless finesse..."

95 Points - Kerin O'Keefe (former Wine Enthusiast Editor)

"It's very nicely balanced on the palate; the acid is well-integrated and cleanses the palate while retaining a pleasant roundness on the edges... Very enjoyable!"

95 Points - The Wine Independent (former RP Wine Advocate Editor)

"It's elegant on the palate, with salty, mouthwatering accents... It's ripe with plush, velvety tannins."

94 Points - Jeb Dunnuck

"...is impossible to ignore, maintains energy while coming across as wonderfully refined."

93 Points - Vinous

“This is balanced, with a judicious layer of tannins framing the finish."

93 Points - Wine Spectator

Hello friends!

We have just secured our limited allocation of the new 2020 release of Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona's Brunello. This is consistently both a customer and reviewer favorite - not surprising!

Ciacci Piccolomini is one of the most sought-after producers in all of Italy. This ancient estate has 35 hectares of superior holdings in the prized Castelnuovo dell'Abate zone, including the 'Pianrosso' vineyard (meaning 'red field,' a reference to the iron rich soils). Made by the brother-and-sister team Paolo and Lucia Bianchini, this ancient estate was left to the Bianchini family in 1985 by Countess Elda Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona, who had no heirs; Giuseppe (Paolo and Lucia's father) had been the estate manager. Their Brunellos emphasize finesse and balance, with layers of ultra-fine tannins and subtle ripe fruit, yet they age incredibly well. The ‘Fonte’ vineyard, which produces grapes for the Rosso di Montalcino, is located next to Pianrosso while plantings of Syrah, Cabernet, and Merlot are to the south, where the Orcia river provides a milder microclimate. The non-traditional wines are as exciting as the Brunello and Rosso - Parker once called their Fabius Syrah “the finest Italian Syrah I have tasted.” The wines are even 100% organic, too!

The 'Pianrosso' single vineyard Brunello is made only in exceptional vintages; the 2015 vintage received 100 points and ranked #14 in James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of 2019. Suckling had this to say about the winery:

"This famous producer of Brunello di Montalcino has been making balanced, precise and beautiful reds since the 1980s. However, it's their recent vintages that show the most focus and intensity. The family-owned winery primarily makes two Brunellos: a regular bottling and a single-vineyard wine named Vigna di Pianrosso. The latter is always a step up in terms of quality with more concentration and depth of fruit on the palate. The Pianrosso Santa Caterina d'Oro Riserva is only made in top vintages, and it is a selection of the best grapes from the vineyard in that respective year."

And here is what Wine Spectator had to say about this producer when this winery hit their Top 10 list in 2012 for their 'normale' Brunello:

“Brother-and-sister team Paolo and Lucia Bianchini continue to make excellent Brunellos in the tradition of their father, Giuseppe, who died in 2004. They are better employing their new modern cellars, which were completed last year, and continue to maintain their south-facing vineyards at near pristine levels. The Brunellos emphasize finesse and balance, with layers of ultrafine tannins and subtle ripe fruit, yet they age incredibly well."

Today we offer up the new 2020 vintage as well as our remaining limited stock on Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona's other wines:



Brunello di Montalcino "Vigna di Pianrosso Santa Caterina d'Oro" 2015

Brunello di Montalcino "Pianrosso 2017 + 2019

Syrah "Fabius" 2019

Don't miss out on these limited gems!

Ciao,

James Tran

2020 Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Brunello di Montalcino DOCG

96 Points - James Suckling:

"A profound wine with vibrancy and complexity, exuding restrained cherries and raspberries, together with touches of ash and fresh orange peel. Leafiness and meaty minerality add an extra dimension. The attack is lush and ripe, with full body, velvety tannins, refreshing acidity and violet-soaked cherries to finish. Real precision here. Drinkable now, but best after 2025." (Sep 2024)

95+ Points - Luca Gardini:

"Elegant and very well balanced. Nose with dogwood sensations, then caper fruits, black pepper in grains and hints of eucalyptus. Juicy and taut mouthfeel, with sapid tannins. It closes with memories of small fruits and balsamic sensations, accompanied by iodine memories.” (Oct 2024)

95 Points - Kerin O'Keefe (former Wine Enthusiast Editor):

"The striking 2020 Brunello from Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona is intensely fragrant, offering aromas of ripe wild berry, blue flower, Mediterranean scrub and dark spice. Full-bodied and structured but also boasting weightless finesse, the savory palate delivers Morello cherry, ripe raspberry, licorice and tobacco framed in firm, velvety tannins. Drink 2029–2035.” (Nov 2024)

95 Points - The Wine Independent (former RP Wine Advocate Editor):

"This 2020 Brunello di Montalcino is little darker in color than some other Brunellos from the 2020 vintage. On the nose, it has appealing mixed fruit preserves, violets, grated nutmeg, black plum tart. It's very nicely balanced on the palate; the acid is well-integrated and cleanses the palate while retaining a pleasant roundness on the edges. The alcohol is just slightly warming but does not detract from the wine, and on the finish, orange peel, clove oil, and tapenade interplay amongst the fine and structured tannins. Very enjoyable! Drink: 2025-2044.” - Vanessa Conlin (Dec 2024)

94 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:

"The 2020 Brunello Di Montalcino pours a bright red/orange-tinged color and is ripe and sapid on the nose with notes of crushed black raspberries, mocha, sweet herbs, and mossy, floral earth. It's elegant on the palate, with salty, mouthwatering accents, but the acidity is not what kicks that forward. It's ripe with plush, velvety tannins, hints of porcini, and earth tones that are sure to improve and build as the wine ages. It has a hearty texture in its medium frame and fills the palate with hints of black truffle. Drink over the coming 15 or more years.” - Audrey Frick (Jan 2025)

93 Points - Vinous:

"The 2020 Brunello di Montalcino is impossible to ignore, with a burst of crushed plums and black cherries accentuated by sweet herbs, hints of tobacco and wilted violets. It's round and supple with dark red fruits, autumnal spices that swirl throughout and a hint of cocoa that embellishes the close. Despite its depth and concentration, the 2020 maintains energy while coming across as wonderfully refined, leaves fine-grained tannins to resonate beneath an air of lavender and mocha. Drink: 2026-2034.” - Eric Guido (Nov 2024)

93 Points - Wine Spectator:

“This red is supple in texture, evoking cherry, strawberry, floral and mineral flavors. There's also a distinctive salty taste and fine viscosity on the palate. This is balanced, with a judicious layer of tannins framing the finish. Best from 2027 through 2042. 5,566 cases made, 2,083 cases imported.” – Bruce Sanderson (Apr 2025)

Elsewhere: $80.00

OURS: $64.97

Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona "Pianrosso" Single-Vineyard

Brunello di Montalcino

Only made in the best vintages!

2015 Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona "Vigna di Pianrosso Santa Caterina d'Oro" Brunello di Montalcino

100 Points & # 6 of Top 100 Wines of Italy 2020 - James Suckling:

"The opulence of fruit and complexity of earth, meat, mushroom and cedar is breathtaking. It’s full-bodied, deep and powerful with so much intensity and depth. Chewy and layered, it goes on for minutes. Give it even more time. Try after 2023." (December 2020)

Other Scores:

WA 97, WS 97, WE 97

Only 4 bottles left

$179.97

2019 Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Fabius (Syrah) Rosso

91 Points - Robert Parker:

"A rare look at Syrah from the cool Montalcino climate, the 2019 Sant'Antimo Fabius is packed tight with blackberry and black cherry along with spice, sweet tobacco and smoked bacon. There's a lot going on aromatically speaking, but the wine stays clear of the heavier black pepper or cured leather aromas that you often get in New World Syrah. I love the soft texture, freshness and tension that this extremely well-priced wine exhibits. Production is 13,000 bottles." - Monica Larner (Feb 2022)

Only 2 bottles left

$26.97