Conti Costanti Brunello di Montalcino 2020

Conti Costanti Brunello 2020, the balance of Montalcino

In this Brunello, I first note a very concrete link between the place, the Sangiovese and the time devoted to aging. The 2020 vintage fits into an old family history, but also into the zoning and precision work carried out at the Conti Costanti estate.

A hillside Sangiovese, between heritage and precision

This wine is made in Montalcino, in Tuscany, under the DOCG Brunello di Montalcino appellation. It comes from Sangiovese parcels located between 433 and 471 meters above sea level, on galestro soils. The source also highlights the marked temperature differences between day and night: a feature of the site that contributes to the identity of these vines, without it being possible to deduce from this alone a precise aromatic profile.

The recent history of the estate is associated with Andrea Costanti. A graduate in geology from the University of Siena, he took over Colle a Matrichese in 1983, although he had no experience in winemaking. He continues the legacy of his ancestor Tito Costanti while evolving the cellar's work. Here, tradition and innovation are not opposed: the zoning highlights the characteristics of the parcels, while the winemaking is described with precision. After selection and destemming of the grapes, maceration lasts two weeks in stainless steel tanks, in contact with the skins. The wine is then aged 18 months in foudres, then 18 months in Slavonian oak barrels, before 12 months in bottle. This path gives an important place to aging, without making it the longest in the estate's history.

For tasting, the available information does not give a detailed description of the color, the nose or the flavors: I therefore prefer not to invent notes of fruit, spice or wood. The indicated profile places it in the middle of a scale running from fruity to spicy, and between youthfulness and barrel aging. Its structure is rated at an intermediate level, slightly above the center. These markers outline a wine that is balanced in its style, but they do not replace a true tasting note. Two evaluations published in the sources award it 94 and 97 points.

At the table, without rushing the moment

I would serve it with white meats, red meat or soft cheeses, the pairings suggested for this Brunello. Choose a table where the wine can accompany the meal without taking up all the space, and give it time to open up in the glass. If you appreciate Sangiovese reds whose terroir and aging are clearly documented, the Conti Costanti 2020 deserves a careful tasting, at your own pace.