Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2018 Castelgiocondo Frescobaldi

In the pale cream-colored label, the Frescobaldi 2018 Brunello di Montalcino CastelGiocondo is richly textured and packed with dark fruit, black cherry and dried blackberry. The wine shows good concentration—probably a little more than your standard Brunello—with integrated tannins and balanced acidity. The finish is moderate in length, and this wine is ready to drink straight out of the gate.

Very aromatic and beautiful with blackberry and black-cherry aromas. Hints of flowers. Medium-bodied and extremely refined. Bright and elegant. Drink or hold.

Elegant, with a vibrant structure shoring up cherry, raspberry, plum, earth and underbrush flavors. Turns compact on the finish, yet bright acidity and vestiges of the fruit keep this focused. Best from 2025 through 2040.

The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino is dusty and floral on the nose, with a mix of dried black cherries, shaved cedar and wild flowers forming its inviting bouquet. This is round, almost juicy in feel, with cooling mineral tones and brisk acidity that maintains an unexpectedly energetic character, as tart wild berry fruits slowly saturate. The 2018 finishes with grippy tannins, yet also surprisingly fresh, leaving nuances of red licorice to slowly taper off. This really took me by surprise, as I’m so accustomed to Castelgiocondo being such a brooding and powerful wine in its youth, but that is the magic of the 2018 vintage.