2015 San Lorenzo Brunello di Montalcino 750 ml

San Lorenzo sits just a seven minute drive north of the legendary Soldera estate—the source of highly-allocated, $600 bottles of Brunello—and just another 400 yards from Gaja's famed Pieve Santa Restituta property. It’s a top class neighborhood that yields wines like this 2015, which boasts a 94+ point score from Vinous' notoriously tough Ian D'Agata, who praised its “superb vibrancy” and rich, deep fruit. 

Yet unlike its neighbors, this wine doesn’t come with a triple-digit price tag. Today, we’ve got this outstanding Brunello direct from Tuscany, for an unbelievable $45. From the “fairy tale” 2015 vintage, Brunello aficionados and red wine lovers of all stripes should strike at this opportunity. 

San Lorenzo is a tiny producer, with just 12 acres under vine, and they produce some of our favorite traditional Brunello. Proprietor Paolo Ciolfi is proud of their intensely rocky Galestro soils which, with lots of hard work in the vineyard, provide the foundation for truly exceptional Brunello. Managing such a tiny vineyard gives Paolo ultimate control over the wine, from budbreak to bottling, and his resistance to big marketing budgets means the fantastic San Lorenzo wine can be had for a song… unlike its 94-point competition.

We discovered the 2015 Brunello during a marathon tasting of new release Tuscan reds, and were wowed by San Lorenzo’s offering. It was a clear standout, with a powerfully aromatic nose of violets, dried cherries, and aniseed. The palate combines the power and rich fruit of the '15 vintage with a beautiful mineral freshness and detail that is only possible from a particularly special site—and San Lorenzo has prime vineyards in one of the best neighborhoods in Brunello.

Frankly, we weren’t surprised: A Montalcino native (and friend) had tipped us off on San Lorenzo the last time we were in Tuscany, and we made sure that one of their bottles made it into the tasting. Our friend thinks that the high-altitude Prata district, which San Lorenzo calls home, is the future of Brunello, and based on our tasting it was hard to disagree.

The Ciolfis farm their vineyard organically and the high-altitudes of their vineyards allow for the grapes to hang and develop powerful flavors without sacrificing freshness or minerality—especially helpful in the warm 2015 vintage, a legendary year that left "no wine untouched by its magic” in the words of Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, and whose wines Vinous called "some of the best in recent memory." 

In the cellar, San Lorenzo is committed to traditional practices like aging in old botti—giant casks, used for decades—to preserve the fruit character of the wine without oak interference. They age the wine for more than three years in barrel and six months in bottle before release, which puts them in the company of the best producers in the region.

Our enthusiasm for this wine meant we reached out quickly to claim our share, and we landed you what is, by far, the best price in the country: $45 per bottle—a coup compared to its normal $65 price.