100-98pt Ciacci Brunellos ⭐️ From WS 99pt 2021 Greatest Vintage Ever
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Originally sent to our list on October 13, 2026. Pricing and availability reflect that date — for current pricing and stock, see artisan.wine.
• The 2021s Are Already Running Low · Last 2 Bottles Of The 2020
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The 2021 Brunello di Montalcino Vintage
A Generational Shift for Brunello.
The greatest Brunellos we have tasted, and a vintage we believe is on track to outperform 2016.
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A Personal Note
Dear Artisans,
For two decades, Christine and I have been proud to bring you the greatest Brunello releases at the best prices we can find. We still remember the hits: the 2006s, the 2007s, 2010, 2015, the magical 2016s, and more recently 2019.
We honestly did not think any vintage would come close to 2016. Then we tasted the 2021s. These are the most exciting Brunellos we have tasted, and we believe this vintage is on track to surpass it.
What 2021 Tastes Like
James Suckling put it best in his vintage report: “There is something unmistakably classical about Brunello di Montalcino 2021. The wines have an almost old-fashioned charm, with fresh, graceful aromatics that recall balanced vintages of the past such as 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2004.”
In the glass, the best of them are so elegant they feel almost weightless, yet they carry incredibly fine tannins and a structure you sense more than feel. At the core is everything great Sangiovese should be: black cherry, blood orange and flowers.
What Happened In The Vineyard
A rainy spring filled the soils with water. Then frosts on April 7, 8 and 15 cut yields by as much as a third in some vineyards. A warm, dry May gave way to a long, dry summer, warmer than 2020. Crucially, no rain fell in September, so growers could pick exactly when their grapes were ready.
Smaller crops, and no weather forcing the harvest. That is where the concentration and the balance come from.
Ciacci’s 2021s: The New Scores
Back in May we hosted a Ciacci Piccolomini masterclass, and the room turned into a feeding frenzy. Since then the critics have had their say on the 2021s.
The 2021 Pianrosso: 98 from James Suckling, 97 from both Falstaff and Kerin O’Keefe, 96 from Jeb Dunnuck and Orazio Campoli, and 95 from Vinous and Wine Advocate. Jeb Dunnuck notes there was no Riserva produced in 2021, so the Pianrosso is the top of Ciacci’s 2021 lineup.
The 2021 Brunello: 98+ from Luca Gardini, 96 from James Suckling, 95 from Kerin O’Keefe and Falstaff, and 94 from four more. Suckling’s verdict: “An excellent example of the vintage.”
Orazio Campoli caught what makes the Pianrosso special: “here is the magic of the 2021 vintage: for all of its sheer mass and serious dry extract, this wine absolutely refuses to be fat.”
The Countess’s Gift
Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona holds 35 hectares in the prized Castelnuovo dell’Abate zone of Montalcino, including the Pianrosso vineyard. The name means ‘red field,’ for the heavy iron deposits in its soil.
Countess Elda Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona had no heirs, and in 1985 she left the estate to the Bianchini family; Giuseppe Bianchini had been the estate manager. Today the wines are made by his children, Paolo and Lucia Bianchini, a brother-and-sister team.
Lovers of Casanova di Neri, Siro Pacenti, and Valdicava have much to love here: the same polished, approachable-yet-ageworthy style, with iron-rich Pianrosso soul.
Already Running Low
Because 2021 is the vintage of a lifetime for Brunello, our Ciacci 2021s are already running low. If you want them in your cellar, now is the time.
The 2020 Pianrosso, the wine James Suckling ranked #3 in his Top 100 Wines of Italy, is down to its last 2 bottles.
And from the same estate and the same hands: the 2024 Rosso di Montalcino at $33.97 (Vinous 93) and the 2024 Toscana Rosso at $19.97, the bottles to open tonight while your 2021s rest in the cellar.
James Tran
Artisan Wine & Spirits
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Why This Matters
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The Estate Brunello · Already Running Low
2021 Ciacci Brunello di Montalcino.
Luca Gardini 98+. Seven more critics at 94 to 96.
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Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona Brunello di Montalcino 2021
Castelnuovo dell’Abate, Montalcino · 750 mL
Aged over 24 months in Slavonian oak barrels and barriques, then over 8 months in bottle. Monica Larner loves the site for “one of the grandest sunsets in Montalcino,” and Vinous calls the 2021 “already a pleasure to taste today.” Every review is below, highest score first.
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The Flagship · Already Running Low
2021 Ciacci “Pianrosso” Brunello di Montalcino.
No Riserva was produced in 2021. Seven critics at 95 to 98.
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Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona “Pianrosso” Brunello di Montalcino 2021
Castelnuovo dell’Abate, Montalcino · 750 mL
From the iron-rich ‘red field,’ at 240 to 360 meters, aged over 36 months in Slavonian oak barrels and barriques and over 8 months in bottle before release. Every review is below, highest score first.
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Last Call · Last 2 Bottles
2020 Ciacci “Pianrosso” Brunello di Montalcino.
James Suckling’s #3 wine of Italy. The last 2 bottles.
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Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona “Pianrosso” Brunello di Montalcino 2020
Castelnuovo dell’Abate, Montalcino · 750 mL
When James Suckling ranked his Top 100 Wines of Italy, this bottle landed at #3. Wine Spectator counts 3,600 cases made and 960 imported. We have the last 2 bottles; here are its top two reviews.
James Suckling’s Top 100 Wines Of Italy: #3
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The Same Estate · Baby Brunello
2024 Ciacci Rosso di Montalcino.
“Easily one of the most enjoyable Rossos I’ve tasted from Ciacci.” Vinous 93.
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Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona Rosso di Montalcino 2024
Montalcino, Tuscany · 750 mL
The “younger sibling” of the Brunello, also 100% Sangiovese, aged 12 months in large Slavonian oak barrels. Red berries, flowers, citrus and spice, with fine tannins: immediately approachable, the wine to drink now while the Brunello waits in the cellar.
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The Same Estate · Under $20
2024 Ciacci Toscana Rosso.
Declassified Rosso di Montalcino and Sant’Antimo lots, all estate fruit, certified organic.
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Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona Toscana Rosso 2024
Toscana IGT · 750 mL
85% Sangiovese with 15% Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, all estate fruit: a blend of declassified Rosso di Montalcino and declassified lots from the Sant’Antimo wines “Ateo” and “Fabivs.” Aged in concrete vats, and all farming is certified organic.
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More 2021 Tuscany
Our 2021 Tuscan Offers Worth A Second Look.
Four more wines from the vintage, each with every review on its offer page.
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Chianti Classico 2021
Querciabella Chianti Classico 2021: five critics, five 93s.
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Brunello 2021
Piancornello Brunello 2021: the first wine of our 2021 Brunello campaign.
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Brunello 2021
Siro Pacenti Vecchie Vigne 2021: Falstaff 99, Jeb Dunnuck and James Suckling 98.
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Brunello 2021
Casanova di Neri Brunello 2021: Luca Gardini 98+, and four critics at 95.
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The Bottom Line
Brunello’s vintage of a lifetime, from Ciacci’s iron-rich red field.
The 2021 Pianrosso at $99.97 (James Suckling 98), the 2021 Brunello at $64.97 (Luca Gardini 98+), the last 2 bottles of the 2020 Pianrosso at $92.97, and the estate’s 2024 Rosso and Toscana at $33.97 and $19.97.
Wine Spectator puts 2021 level with only 2016 on its Brunello chart, and our 2021s are already running low. Buy them in depth, lay them down, and open a Rosso while you wait.
Ciao!
— James Tran
Artisan Wine & Spirits
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• The 2021s Are Already Running Low · Last 2 Bottles Of The 2020
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The Artisan VIP List
Prices so low… we can’t show!
Join our VIP list to receive private sale offers with prices too low to publish, along with rare allocations.
Join The VIP List →
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