The 96-Point, 2020 Romitorio Brunello is a "Step Above Its Peers!"

The 2020 vintage for Brunello di Montalcino is incredible, and today, we bring you a "standout" that may be the best of them all. Earning 96 points from Wine Advocate and too many superlatives to list, the 2020 Castello Romitorio Brunello di Montalcino is nothing short of spectacular!

We were lucky enough to sit down with the winery's local Chicago importer, our friend Paolo Cerruti, and taste this beautiful bottling for ourselves. What he poured us was a wine of incredible intensity, complexity, and seemingly endless classic Brunello flavors that totally blew us away. It was so good that we had to double check the label to make sure it wasn't actually a Riserva!

"If you were to buy one village Brunello from the accessible 2020 vintage, let me direct your attention to this wine."
- Wine Advocate, July 2024

Read on for all the glowing praise below, and be sure to catch Romitorio's 98-point "Filo di Seta" Brunello from the same vintage, then immediately crush that Big Green Button to bring the trendsetters home!

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2020 Castello Romitorio Brunello di Montalcino
Tuscany, Italy
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We have worked with several vintages of Castello Romitorio, and the wines never cease to amaze us with their depth of flavor and overall value. The 2020 vintage of the village-level Brunello takes it to yet another level and is, without a doubt, one that you don't want to miss!

"The Castello Romitorio 2020 Brunello di Montalcino is noticeably a step above its peers..."
- Wine Advocate, 11/21/2024

After only a few minutes of swirling the wine in our glass, it just screamed classic Brunello with its pronounced bright red fruit, savory herbal notes, and compellingly long mineral-driven finish. These mouthwatering flavors immediately made us desire a big Florentine steak, or a heaping plate of mushroom risotto, for a match made in heaven.

Simply gorgeous today, we can only imagine how great it will be in a decade from now. The 96- and 95-point reviews from Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator genuinely capture the essence of what makes this wine special.

“This is a remarkable Brunello from a COVID-19 vintage that launched many curveballs at producers. The Castello Romitorio 2020 Brunello di Montalcino is noticeably a step above its peers thanks to its seamless mouthfeel, its bright fruit concentration, and its balanced freshness. It ages in oak for 24 months, and the grapes are picked from a site with cool clay soils. The finish is soft and polished. If you were to buy one village Brunello from the accessible 2020 vintage, let me direct your attention to this wine. Drink Date: 2025 - 2040.”
          - 96 Points, Wine Advocate (11/21/2024) 

“Intense black cherry, blackberry, violet, and mineral aromas and flavors are the hallmarks of this taut, well-delineated red. Securely bound by the resonant structure, its refined tannins are assertive and beautifully integrated. The terrific aftertaste picks up elements of wild herbs, and this is amazingly long. A standout for the vintage. Best from 2027 through 2045. 3,200 cases made, 540 cases imported.”
          - 95 Points, Wine Spectator (3/19/2025) 

We usually highlight only one single quote from a review about a wine when it makes sense. With the 2020 Romitorio Brunello, we found FOUR, and stand firmly behind them all. Both Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate quote a release price of $83. Looking online, we found 19 listings with a median retail of $69. Our price makes this "standout" Brunello a phenomenal value!

Vin Chicago Price: 59.99

Romitorio's 2020 "Filo di Seta" is a 98-Point Small-Batch Sensation!

2020 Castello Romitorio "Filo di Seta"
Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy
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We passionately agree with Wine Advocate that Romitorio is making some of the best Brunello today, and their 2020 "Filo di Seta" is a pure WOW.

"This estate is making some of the best Brunellos from Montalcino today."
- Wine Advocate, 11/21/2024

We usually clean up our notes, but thought it would be fun to give these to you verbatim: Bright, focused, intense, soft, nimble. Builds and builds with tannins, offering structure. The acidity melds with every flavor - cherry, plum, brambly berry, purple flowers, pencil shavings, tobacco leaf. No way to capture the full experience. Only 200 cases made it to the country, so grab what we can!

And we did, even before we knew about the love affair that Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator have with this wine.

“Filippo Chia and his team kill it in this vintage. The Castello Romitorio 2020 Brunello di Montalcino Filo di Seta is a beautiful and balanced wine. This estate is making some of the best Brunellos from Montalcino today. In the not too distant past, its vineyards were once considered too cool for ideal fruit ripening, but with climate change, the vines are now in a prime position for balanced phenolics, sugars and acidity. This wine shows a wide and complete bouquet, spanning many aromas, all delivered with direct vertical intensity. This is one of the delightful oxymorons that occurs with fine wine. It shows soft, building intensity, but most importantly, the fruit quality is bright and fresh (with 7,760 bottles made). This is a keeper. Drink Date: 2026 - 2045.”
          - 98 Points, Wine Advocate (11/21/2024) 

“A silky texture announces this cherry-, blackberry- and violet-flavored red, along with notes of graphite, tobacco and wild herbs. Well-structured, with profound yet finely wrought tannins and an extra dimension of finesse that stands out. Boasting superb balance and a seemingly never-ending aftertaste, this is multidimensional and focused. Best from 2027 through 2047. 640 cases made, 200 cases imported.”
          - 97 Points, Wine Spectator (3/19/2025) 

Wine Spectator quotes a price of $147. The median online retail is $136.50. We are quite a bit less. Not much made it to Chicagoland, so act fast!

Vin Chicago Price: 114.99