Freddy R. Troya

9.3

Casalino – Brunello di Montalcino 2020
Brunello di Montalcino DOCG – Tuscany – Italy 🇮🇹

Overview
100% Sangiovese (Brunello clone) from Montalcino, crafted in a more approachable, mid-range style. This vintage emphasizes balance and harmony, showcasing the elegance of Brunello without excessive austerity.

Aromas & Flavors
Ripe red cherry, plum, and dried cranberry lead the profile, layered with hints of leather, tobacco, and subtle spice. A touch of earthiness adds depth and classic Brunello character.

Mouthfeel
Medium to medium-plus body with soft, well-integrated tannins and a refined structure. The balance between acidity and texture is seamless, leading to a long, smooth, and satisfying finish.

Food Pairings
Ideal with braised meats, wild game, mushroom risotto, or aged cheeses. Also shines with classic Tuscan dishes like bistecca alla Fiorentina.

Verdict
A beautifully balanced Brunello that leans into elegance and drinkability. Not overly aggressive—just harmonious, structured, and genuinely enjoyable. A great entry point or casual luxury Brunello.

Did You Know?
Brunello di Montalcino must be aged a minimum of 5 years before release (including at least 2 years in oak), which is why even approachable styles carry inherent depth and structure.

🍷 Personal Pick
A “weekday Brunello” (yes, that’s a thing 😄) refined enough to impress, relaxed enough to enjoy without ceremony. — 2 months ago

Ian Hamel

9.2

2024/9/2-3. There’s some young austerity, but with air the aromas really open, with salted lemon, stone, smoky minerals, flowers and judicious oak. In the palate it’s still quite tight, with ample acid and and austere structure - enjoyable but a bit gangly compared to what it will be at peak. Still, I understand Amiot has lengthened maturation times to near two years, and to me, those echoes of old school producers are very welcome — 2 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

Meaty, minty and peppery nose. Wow. So gamey and bloody. Pedal to the medal St. Joseph. Ultra traditional stuff here. Lots of olive and all on a serious granitic background. Palate is elegant and so refined but also has a wild side in that it’s super gamey, olivey and very supple and has good red berry sweetness. Really clean. These wines get cleaner every year without losing their feral edge. Very fine tannin. Also some youthful austerity. Needs air. I will be back. As this opens up exotic tea scents. Maybe oolong and Puer-eh. Great concentration and super silky and long. This is so good. 19 is also best vintage since 15. — 3 years ago

ESF

9.0

Light straw w/green tint: this usually straddles the line between Old & New World and I think this vintage needs some time to fatten up. Typical toasty buttery lemon verbena on the nose with some tropical guava and melon for good measure. Firm acidic backbone & lighter body gave it an austerity on palate thru finish. — 5 years ago

roland benedetti

9.3

What a wine, once opened up.
Superdry but super structure.
Complexity and long long long.
I’d be totally lost without the label, got some Provence scents, herbs, sun, jam and then austerity, austerity, austerity.
Probably could have wait a few more years.
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— 6 years ago

Scott Petrus

9.0

Great blend. The balance of fruit and austerity is on point. — 7 years ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.4

Evolved & aromatic
Cedar wood, cigar box and a touch of cassis with some earthy, gravelly undertone.
Evolved and yet very pure. And very enticing.
Beautiful, simply beautiful on the palate. Firm yet polished and ultra fine tannins, juicy acidity, juice creamy black fruit on the mid palate. Elegant with nice depth and great length.
Beautiful juicy austerity. Classic benchmark left bank Bordeaux. And delish!!! — 2 months ago

Michael Walker

9.9

Loved this esp for the value - I think age was key - just old enough to have a little mustiness/austerity to it, but young enough to catch all the fruit and well before the cobwebs set in. Paired with a 40oz ribeye shared by the table — a year ago

with William

Jay Kline

9.1

Opened and poured into a decanter about an hour before service; no formal notes. This is only my second experience with Padelletti which, continues to be somewhat elusive here in middle-America. Based on my previous experience, I expected this to be very traditional (and it was) but I also expected this to show more of the hallmarks of 2015. Instead, it had a similar elegance and austerity that I recollected from the 2012 that I enjoyed several years back. The quality is certainly there however, it is somewhat reticent and really made me work for it. Be careful not to pair this with fare that’s too heavy. This is a wine to sit with; to ponder. If I had another bottle, I would hold for another 5+ before enjoying again. — 2 years ago

Josh Morgenthau

9.5

Built for the cellar. Delicious. Maybe medium approachable in its youth. But lots of acid and structure, dryness that verges on austerity, but for a licorice sweetness that brings it back and complicates this immensely. Open from ‘25. — 3 years ago

David Kline

9.4

Lime pith swells with shallot, lemon peel and lemon-poppy bread, seashell, chive, carnation, orchids, candied grapefruit peel bouquet. Dry and enticing entry, has a Chablis like austerity, but rounder, showing chamomile and caper with lemon juiciness. .
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#cullen #cullenwinery #wilyabrup #margaretriver #cullenkevinjohnchardonnay #margaretriverchardonnay #Australianwine #biodynamic #sustainable #aussiewine #aussiechardonnay #ozwine #ozchard — 5 years ago

with Courtney, Emily and 1 other

Kevin Cahoon

9.3

What a delightful expression of Sangiovese from a difficult vintage. Nose reveals notes of red cherry, cranberry, pomegranate and red raspberry fruit tied to lovely loam and spice tones. Palate is juicy if a bit high toned with lovely red fruit flavors, a noble austerity and resolved tannins. Finish has lift and a dynamite bitter red cherry hint wrapped in spice. Appears to be at or is close to its peak but I imagine it will hold here for 5 to 7 more years. — 6 years ago

Aylin Ulku

9.0

HAD THE CASTELAO but can't find to log it.
Delicious!! Muted dark fruit and some dry austerity in the midpalate with a stronger finish. Likely can rest a bit more but delicious now.
Would pair well with meats. — 7 years ago

Ming L

9.2

A generous Le Clos. The nose offers ripe orchard fruit, lemon curd, and a touch of honeysuckle, more Burgundian than maritime. The palate is broad and supple, with layered fruit and well-integrated acidity that provides lift without the usual steely edge. While beautifully balanced and polished, it leans toward richness and charm rather than the taut, mineral austerity typical of young Chablis. — 7 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.4

Medium ruby garnet terracotta rim, slightly wider than the Lynch. This is cooler and slightly sterner in character than the Lynch. More mineral , with ash , cedar and grafite in character , cassis , blackberry , dark cherry fruits. On the palate this is denser with more tannin , and balanced acidity . Grafite , cassis , herbal cedar , menthol touch . Long fresh but densely fruited, grafite finish . This is younger and more serious than the Lynch, more austere . Probably deserves a little time in decanter, though this is probably in the middle of its drinking window . Certainly no rush here , can go on well for the next 10 if not more years . This shows a really good mix of St Estephe austerity , seriousness and the ripeness and generosity of 1990. A great bottle , showing very well. — 8 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

8.9

Deep ruby , garnet thinner rim . Quite deep fruits again . Spicy fruit darker in profile than the 1998 . But in style quite similar to the 1998, not the austerity or classic profile of the 1995 or 1996. Redder lighter fruits again , touch of spice and tobacco. A bit more stuffing than the 1998 , bit more tannin noticeable, with good acidity . This is better balanced than the preceding wine , has more complexity with quite good length on the slightly saline tinged finish. Certainly aromatically the youngest wine in the tasting , this can be drunk now though will improve over the 5 years perhaps and last well a further 5-10. — 3 years ago

Bill Kaplan

9.2

A grape fest. Some austerity on the nose, and a party in the mouth. — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Enjoying some wonderful aged Australian Rieslings from my cellar currently. This from the Eden Valley was almost as impressive as the Eldredge from the Clare a few days ago. Pale Lemon in colour. Nose of mandarin rind, pith and flesh, dried flowers but no Kero. The palate is showing Mandarin juice, a touch of sweetness and low acid. This wine has blossomed with cellaring, becoming delicious after the austerity of its youth. The vineyard was planted in 1912. Colin Kroehn as at 2012 has tended this vineyard for 66 of his 86 years. — 6 years ago

Ae

9.0

Very lightweight and clean fruit — 7 years ago

Greg Wright

9.2

Reticent and austere at the beginning but then started to open up. Dark red fruits, savory notes, violets emerge. It has good acidity and tannin balance but the austerity is going to require more patience. — 7 years ago