2016 Bonacchi Molino del Piano Brunello di Montalcino Tuscany 750 ml

Last year, we introduced Wine Access members to Bonacchi, a dazzling, under-the-radar Brunello producer that’s the toast of top trattorias in New York but mostly unknown to the wine media. Well, no more. 

Our offer ended the wine’s secret status and broke our Brunello sales record, so we’re thrilled to say it’s BACK.

Thanks to wines like this one, Bonacchi winemaker Ivan Misuri won the career-making Giulio Gambelli Prize in 2020. Named for Italy’s greatest master of Sangiovese, it’s one of the most prestigious honors a vintner can win in the cradle of Brunello.

Even though it’s going on its fourth generation of leadership, Cantine Bonacchi is a relative fledgling among the estates of Montalcino, but it’s become a must-know for Brunello lovers. A remarkable bottling from Bonacchi’s most prized vineyards, the 2016 has a gorgeous concentration and focus, thanks to its terroir and a spectacular vintage.

Andrea Bonacchi has retained the best of what his great-grandfather started but also thoroughly modernized the entire operation. With Misuri at the helm, Bonacchi has refocused winemaking efforts on temperature-controlled, stainless-steel fermentation to deliver brighter fruit flavors, and aging in oak barriques and tonneaux to round the tannins and emphasize overall balance. 

Harmonious, complex, and perfectly integrated, the wine enthralls with aromas of raspberry, red plum, and black cherry, while the polished palate showcases dried strawberry, rose petal, tobacco, and dusty minerals. Anise, licorice, dried herb, and orange peel then emerge, providing plenty to ponder over the long finish.

This Brunello will reward earlier drinking than Andrea’s bisnonno would have ever dreamed possible. An absolutely tremendous find from a rising superstar, it rewards now but is also poised for another decade-plus of enjoyment.