Azienda Agricola Pietroso, Brunello di Montalcino

     There are roughly two hundred wineries scattered across the rolling hills of Montalcino, each chasing their own vision of Brunello. Some favor the pale, perfumed elegance of the old ways—wines that smell of crushed roses, cypress needles, and the dusty clay beneath your boots. Others chase power: late-picked fruit, dark color, and enough new oak to fool you into thinking you’re drinking a top-dollar Napa Cab. Pietroso lands perfectly between those worlds. It’s both wild and refined—like a tailored suit worn after a day in the fields. One smell and I was already salting a porterhouse in my mind, dreaming of a proper Bistecca alla Fiorentina—the kind of meal that demands a wine with both muscle and grace. The value here borders on absurd; this is the kind of Brunello you open, taste once, and immediately wish you’d bought a case. Finding quality like this under $100 these days isn't easy.

     Pietroso didn’t start as a business plan or a legacy estate—it started as a man with a noble dream and a single acre of vines. In the early 1970s, Domenico “Delfo” Berni bought a rocky hillside just outside the old walls of Montalcino, on land locals had been calling “contrada el petroso”—the stony place—since the 1300s. He made wine for friends and family, never imagining the outside world would care. But the bottles were too good to stay secret, and what began as a hobby turned into a calling that now spans three generations. Today the estate is run by Delfo’s nephew Gianni Pignattai, alongside his wife Cecilia and their children, Andrea and Gloria—real people who farm real vines, not an investment group polishing tasting rooms for tour buses. They now tend four vineyards that are anything but interchangeable postcard hillsides: Fornello faces the morning light and brings the nerve; Colombaiolo leans south-southwest and adds warmth and flesh; the Pietroso vineyard itself rises to 1,500 feet and drinks in the long western sunset, stacking depth without weight; and Montosoli, the lowest and most historic, brings perfume over power. Everything is farmed by hand, organically in spirit if not in paperwork, with the kind of attention you don’t get when vineyard managers answer to shareholders. Galestro and alberese—the fractured sandstone and limestone of old Tuscany—give the wines their lift, backbone, and that mineral line that keeps Sangiovese honest. In a region that has increasingly gone glossy, Pietroso is a reminder of what Brunello tasted like before it became a score-chasing luxury product.

     In the cellar, everything moves at the pace of the wine, not the market. Each vineyard is harvested by hand and fermented on native yeasts, spending around twenty days on the skins in a mix of stainless steel tanks and upright wooden vats—long enough to build depth, not so long that the tannins turn unruly. Aging happens in three quiet acts: six months in used French oak barrels, followed by two full years in large Slavonian and Austrian casks, and then at least another year resting in bottle, tightening its frame and evolving its perfume. Nothing is fined, nothing filtered, nothing rushed. This is Brunello built the way Brunello earned its reputation—structured but not heavy, powerful but not loud, the kind of Sangiovese that can age for decades but still makes sense on the table tonight if you give it an hour in a decanter. It’s not trying to impress you with power; it wins you over with honesty and class.

     The 2020 Brunello from Pietroso has a dark garnet core moving to light garnet and orange-tinged hues on the rim. After an hour of opening up, the wine settles in with a gorgeous perfume that somehow delivers both tradition and polish in the most perfect way. The nose exudes aromas of wild red berries, black cherry, fennel, wildflowers, and underbrush, with accents of a two-year-old Gucci leather purse. The flavors on the palate mirror the nose and are medium-plus in body, with perfect tension and brightness bringing the dense flavors into balance. This wine is dangerously drinkable, and if you love Brunello, this bottle might disappear while you prep for dinner solo in the kitchen.

     Ideally, enjoy this out of large Bordeaux stems at just above cellar temp, served around 60–65°F, after letting it breathe in a decanter for 30–60 minutes. There are so many great pairings with a Brunello like this—amazing for burger night or braised oxtail pasta—but one of the classic pairings of all time is Brunello with a grilled porterhouse brushed with olive oil and rosemary, served rare, with roasted potatoes or grilled vegetables. Enjoy this wine now, after resting a few weeks after delivery, and it will peak in 7–15 years, but will still be gorgeous on its 30th birthday (if not beyond) if kept in a cold, dark cellar. Enjoy!