×

Castelgiocondo (Frescobaldi) Brunello di Montalcino 2016 750ml

size
750ml
country
Italy
region
Tuscany
DC
97
WE
95
JS
95
WA
93
VM
93
WS
93
Additional vintages
DC
97
Rated 97 by Decanter
Despite the difficulties of the vintage 2016 is hailed as an excellent year in Brunello. This has coffee, dried herbs, cherry, dark chocolate and balsamic notes on the nose. Round and supple on the palate, the fruit is chewy and mouthwatering filling the palate making you suck in your cheeks. Tannins gently grip and hold through to the long finish. Such brightness with acidity and depth. A great food wine and an excellent time to drink although it will age well. Elegant, well structured and moreish. ... More details
Image of bottle
Sample image only. Please see Item description for product Information. When ordering the item shipped will match the product listing if there are any discrepancies. Do not order solely on the label if you feel it does not match product description

Castelgiocondo (Frescobaldi) Brunello di Montalcino 2016 750ml

SKU 914457
Case Only Purchase
Long-term Pre-Arrival
$347.70
/case
$57.95
/750ml bottle
Quantity
* This is a Long-term Pre-arrival item and is available for online ordering only. This item will ship on a future date after a 4-8 months transfer time. For additional details about Pre-arrival Items please visit our FAQ page.
Professional Ratings
DC
97
WE
95
JS
95
WA
93
VM
93
WS
93
DC
97
Rated 97 by Decanter
Despite the difficulties of the vintage 2016 is hailed as an excellent year in Brunello. This has coffee, dried herbs, cherry, dark chocolate and balsamic notes on the nose. Round and supple on the palate, the fruit is chewy and mouthwatering filling the palate making you suck in your cheeks. Tannins gently grip and hold through to the long finish. Such brightness with acidity and depth. A great food wine and an excellent time to drink although it will age well. Elegant, well structured and moreish.
WE
95
Rated 95 by Wine Enthusiast
Eucalyptus, blue flower, baked plum and spice aromas shape the nose in this fragrant red. Full bodied and chewy, the savory palate delivers ripe black cherry, vanilla, licorice and espresso alongside tightly knit, velvety tannins. Drink 2023–2031.
JS
95
Rated 95 by James Suckling
Black-cherry and blackberry aromas with minerals and fresh flowers, following through to a full body with firm, silky tannins that are polished and intense. Lovely finesse and length. Drink after 2023.
WA
93
Rated 93 by Wine Advocate
The Frescobaldi 2016 Brunello di Montalcino CastelGiocondo shows dark fruit, plum and spice. The wine offers good density and richness, but the aromatic intensity is downplayed compared to some of its peers from this classic vintage. Other than that, all the wine's elements are in the right place with cherry, wild plum, rose and tilled earth. Production is an ample 300,000 bottles.
VM
93
Rated 93 by Vinous Media
Sour cherries, spiced orange and dusty dried flowers open in the glass, as the 2016 Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino slowly blossoms. The textures are creamy, contrasted by cooling minerality and juicy acids, as tart red berries saturate under an air of sweet herbs and inner florals. This finishes dry yet long, with chewy tannins and remnants of crunchy red fruit. The 2016 Castelgiocondo needs some time to come together, yet it has all of the balance necessary to mature into a real beauty.
WS
93
Rated 93 by Wine Spectator
Starts out with macerated plum and cherry fruit, shaded by tobacco, iron and earth flavors. Dense, dusty tannins put the grip on the finish, yet this is also vibrant and finds a nice equilibrium in the end, with the fruit returning. Best from 2024 through 2042. 27,000 cases made, 2,500 cases imported.
Winery
The CastelGiocondo is an intense shade of ruby red. CastelGiocondo is always set apart by its elegance, and in this vintage, this characteristic is more marked than ever. The fruity notes, the first to hit our olfactory receptors, are dominated by blueberry and blackberry, flanked by blackcurrant and other berries. They are followed by floral hints of violet and dog rose, which are always found in the bouquet of the best Brunello di Montalcino. Next on the nose are clear spicy notes of black pepper and cardamom, chased by a pleasant aroma of liquorice. On the palate, the tannins are dense but not harsh, accompanied by delicate mineral notes. The consistency between the nose and palate and the long and persistent finish make it particularly balanced.
Product Details
size
750ml
country
Italy
region
Tuscany
Additional vintages
Overview
Despite the difficulties of the vintage 2016 is hailed as an excellent year in Brunello. This has coffee, dried herbs, cherry, dark chocolate and balsamic notes on the nose. Round and supple on the palate, the fruit is chewy and mouthwatering filling the palate making you suck in your cheeks. Tannins gently grip and hold through to the long finish. Such brightness with acidity and depth. A great food wine and an excellent time to drink although it will age well. Elegant, well structured and moreish.
green grapes

Varietal: Sangiovese

Sangiovese grapes have been grown in their native Italy and several other countries for a very long time now, with many experts claiming that they were even enjoyed by the ancient Etruscan civilization, long before the spread of the Roman Empire which helped raise the profile of this dark colored and flavorful varietal. It isn't difficult to understand their enduring appeal – the Sangiovese grape varietal delivers wines which are the epitome of finery, soaking up delicate and complex oak and vanilla flavors from the barrels they are aged in, or leaving light, refreshing strawberry notes on the tongue when drank young. Whilst many traditional wineries prefer to use these acidic grapes for single variety wines, many have experimented with blending them with other fine varietals in order to balance out their combination of high acidity and light body. The results have often been truly special, and Sangiovese continues to impress today as much as it did centuries ago.
barrel

Region: Tuscany

All over the stunning region of Tuscany in central Italy, you'll see rolling hills covered in green, healthy grapevines. This region is currently Italy's third largest producer of wines, but interestingly wineries here are generally happy with lower yields holding higher quality grapes, believing that they have a responsibility to uphold the excellent reputation of Tuscany, rather than let it slip into 'quantity over quality' wine-making as it did in the mid twentieth century. The region has a difficult soil type to work with, but the excellent climate and generations of expertise more than make up for this problem. Most commonly, Tuscan vintners grow Sangiovese and Vernaccia varietal grapes, although more and more varietals are being planted nowadays in order to produce other high quality wine styles.
fields

Country: Italy

It isn't difficult to understand why Italy is famed not just for the quality of its wines, but also for the vast variety and range of characteristics found in the wines there. The terrain of the country varies wildly, from the lush rolling green hills and valley of Tuscany, to the sun drenched rocky coasts of Sicily, the mountainous and alpine regions of the north, and the marshy lowlands of the east. Italy really does have a little bit of everything. Combine this huge range of landscapes with an almost perfect climate for grape cultivation, and you have a country seemingly designed for viticultural excellence. The results speak for themselves, and it is clear to see that wine has become an inseparable part of Italian culture as a result of its abundance and brilliance. Each village, city and region has a local wine perfectly matched with the cuisine of the area, and not an evening passes without the vast majority of Italian families raising a glass of locally sourced wine with pride and pleasure.
More wines available from Castelgiocondo (Frescobaldi)
Long-term Pre-Arrival
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle: $68.91
Aromas of warm stones, dark fruits and walnuts follow to a full body, soft tannins and a savory finish. This shows...
JS
97
WA
94
Long-term Pre-Arrival
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle: $77.95
#35 ENTHUSIAST 100 2018. Wild berry, crushed violet, pipe tobacco and chopped herb aromas leap out of the glass....
WE
96
JS
95
Long-term Pre-Arrival
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle: $69.22
Aromas of woodland berry, damp soil, new leather and crushed thyme form the nose along with a whiff of iris. Linear...
WE
93
DC
92
Long-term Pre-Arrival
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle: $64.84
This is a pure and beautiful Brunello with super fine and abundant tannins that are comprehensive and expansive....
JS
97
WE
95
Long-term Pre-Arrival
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle: $54.95
Supple and generous in terms of acidity, crushed velvet-textured tannins and herbal-edged red berry fruit - mouth...
DC
95
WA
93
More Details
green grapes

Varietal: Sangiovese

Sangiovese grapes have been grown in their native Italy and several other countries for a very long time now, with many experts claiming that they were even enjoyed by the ancient Etruscan civilization, long before the spread of the Roman Empire which helped raise the profile of this dark colored and flavorful varietal. It isn't difficult to understand their enduring appeal – the Sangiovese grape varietal delivers wines which are the epitome of finery, soaking up delicate and complex oak and vanilla flavors from the barrels they are aged in, or leaving light, refreshing strawberry notes on the tongue when drank young. Whilst many traditional wineries prefer to use these acidic grapes for single variety wines, many have experimented with blending them with other fine varietals in order to balance out their combination of high acidity and light body. The results have often been truly special, and Sangiovese continues to impress today as much as it did centuries ago.
barrel

Region: Tuscany

All over the stunning region of Tuscany in central Italy, you'll see rolling hills covered in green, healthy grapevines. This region is currently Italy's third largest producer of wines, but interestingly wineries here are generally happy with lower yields holding higher quality grapes, believing that they have a responsibility to uphold the excellent reputation of Tuscany, rather than let it slip into 'quantity over quality' wine-making as it did in the mid twentieth century. The region has a difficult soil type to work with, but the excellent climate and generations of expertise more than make up for this problem. Most commonly, Tuscan vintners grow Sangiovese and Vernaccia varietal grapes, although more and more varietals are being planted nowadays in order to produce other high quality wine styles.
fields

Country: Italy

It isn't difficult to understand why Italy is famed not just for the quality of its wines, but also for the vast variety and range of characteristics found in the wines there. The terrain of the country varies wildly, from the lush rolling green hills and valley of Tuscany, to the sun drenched rocky coasts of Sicily, the mountainous and alpine regions of the north, and the marshy lowlands of the east. Italy really does have a little bit of everything. Combine this huge range of landscapes with an almost perfect climate for grape cultivation, and you have a country seemingly designed for viticultural excellence. The results speak for themselves, and it is clear to see that wine has become an inseparable part of Italian culture as a result of its abundance and brilliance. Each village, city and region has a local wine perfectly matched with the cuisine of the area, and not an evening passes without the vast majority of Italian families raising a glass of locally sourced wine with pride and pleasure.