Sesti, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2019

Overview of the Wine
Although he always enjoyed visiting vineyards and attending tastings, Giuseppe Maria “Giugi” Sesti did not initially choose a career in wine. Instead, his Venetian upbringing inspired him to study music, art, and astronomy, the last of which became his profession. He met his future wife in North Wales while writing his first book on this topic, and in 1975 Giugi and Sarah moved their family to Tuscany, where they bought the abandoned ruins of the hamlet and castle of Argiano, slowly clearing the land and restoring the buildings to create the breathtaking estate we see there today. Giugi was now a father of four, vice-director of a local Baroque opera festival, and actively writing books on astronomy, but he miraculously found spare time to visit local wineries and help his neighbors in the vineyards and cellar. His passion for wine grew along with his experience, and in 1991 he planted his own vineyards on the slopes around the castle. The children helped pick and stomp grapes from the earliest age, and though they, too, pursued international studies in various fields, they always managed to come home for the harvest. In 1999 the couple’s only daughter, Elisa, joined the estate full time, and today she is an active partner in all aspects of the vineyard management and winemaking.

While helping out at neighboring estates Giugi observed that simplicity and careful attention were the most important factors in producing great wines, while chemical intervention skewed their delicate balance; so he determined to make entirely natural wines right from the start. He even took a pioneering extra step by applying his prodigious knowledge of the moon’s influence on living things to his vineyard management and winemaking. Today the family continues this thoroughly eco-friendly philosophy (although no official certification currently meets their personal standards), and Elisa’s primary concern is the materia prima, or raw material, that goes into the wine. The Sesti lineup includes a white Sauvignon and a Sangiovese Rosato born directly of necessity, since the family wanted something light and cooling to drink under the hot summer sun; they were forced to increase production when visiting friends and clients tried these wines and started placing orders. But their basic trio—the Brunello, Brunello Riserva “Phenomena,” and Rosso di Montalcino—provides traditional expressions of the appellation, robust and powerful yet refreshing, with great aging potential in the Brunellos.

Organic, biodynamic

Winemaker
Giuseppe Maria Sesti

Grape / Blend
100% Sangiovese

Origin
Tuscany, Italy

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
The regal perfume is both sweet and savory, with ripe berry fruit accented by balmy herbs and earthy wafts of incense.

97 Points - Wine Enthusiast 
Edmond Halley became famous for his astronomical research, but he was equally interested in what was happening inside our planet, and proposed that our earth was hollow and filled with gases and light, like the Aurora Borealis. Sesti tastes just like this—something luminous and powerful, trapped deep inside the earth. 

96 Points - Decanter
Planted in 1986 on Montalcino’s southern slopes, Sesti’s 13 hectares are freshened by an eastward tilt, constant breezes and surrounding woodlands. Ripeness allies with brightness, particularly in this 2019, which recalls the joyfulness of the estate’s IGT and Rosso di Montalcino counterparts but with the gravitas of Brunello. There's a sweetness of fruit and fragrance as sandalwood, arbutus shrub and vanilla bean suffuse lush red cherry, and it flows with grace and ease. Yet as becoming as this seems to be now, it is tightly wound underneath that gracious core – the intricate structure is fashioned for endurance. (MM)

93 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Sesti 2019 Brunello di Montalcino has a soft side with ripe fruit nuances of black cherry and dried currant. This estate is located in one of the warmer parts of Montalcino, and in a balanced vintage like this, you appreciate the richness of the wine and its dark, accessible fruit. It is also very generous in terms of mouthfeel, with broad brush strokes and plush softness that extends most specifically to the velvety quality of tannins presented in this wine. Production is 14,000 bottles.

93 Points - Vinous
The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino pulls the taster close to the glass with an array of chalk dust and grilled sage, giving way to crushed wild berries and hints of split pine. This is surprisingly soft and supple, with juicy textures and ripe red and blue fruits that swirl throughout. Its tannins come through in the finish, combined with a burst of residual acidity to balance as the 2019 tapers off long, lightly structured and with a pleasantly bitter tinge. This may not be a Brunello for the ages, but it is going to make Sesti fans very happy over a long and broad drinking window. (EG)

93 Points - James Suckling
A medium-bodied red with pretty plum and berry aromas and flavors. Fine tannins and a fresh finish. Very fine and focused. Not the most structured but this is all about finesse and polish. Drinkable but better in two or three years.

Product size: 750ml