SESTI Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 'Phenomena' DOCG 2019 Bottle

Description

The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Phenomena from Sesti has received significant acclaim, highlighted by 96 points from Decanter. Tasted at Chiostro del Museo di Sant’Agostino, it is noted for its initially reticent character that gradually reveals Mediterranean flora, including hints of sage and heather intertwined with tangy sundried cherry. The fine sandy tannins provide ample texture while maintaining an ethereal weightlessness, leading to a savoury mineral finish. Vinous awarded it 94+ points, praising its layers of crushed blackberry, dried orange peels, and sweet lavender, delivering a fresh and racy palate. The Wine Advocate scored it 92 points for its savoury richness and floral intensity, while Jancis Robinson awarded 18 points for its core of pure sour cherry and raspberry fruit, enhanced by gravelly tannins.

*****

DECANTER 96 points
Tasted by: Michaela Morris
(at Chiostro del Museo di Sant’Agostino, Montalcino, 13 Nov 2024)
Part of Brunello di Montalcino 2019 Riserva: 10 picks from a triumphant return to form
Drinking Window: 2026 - 2040
Appropriately reticent, Sesti’s Riserva gradually reveals the profusion of Mediterranean flora that will blossom with time. Hints of sage and heather intertwine with tangy sundried cherry. The tannins are the texture of fine sand but there are masses of them. It manages to pull off amplitude and density with an unlikely ethereal weightlessness, before trailing off leisurely with a savoury mineral twist. As for its celestial dedication, the 2019 release commemorates the 11 November Transit of Mercury, when the planet passed directly across the sun.

VINOUS 94+ points
The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Phenomena takes its time to blossom in the glass. Swirling unlocks depths of crushed blackberry, dried orange peels and cedary spice accentuated by hints of sweet lavender. It's surprisingly fresh and cool-toned in feel, sweeping across the palate with racy red berry fruit scents and mineral tones as tension builds through a saturation of primary concentration toward the close. Long, staining and nearly chewy in feel, the 2019 tapers off with a licorice tinge, sweet tannins and a touch of sour citrus. I suspect that great things will come with patience. - Eric Guido

THE WINE ADVOCATE 92
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
Drink Date: 2025 - 2037
The Sesti 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Phenomena is savory and rich with cherry compote, mulberry spice and sweet-smelling rose. In fact, that floral component becomes more intense the longer the wine stays in the glass. It is not too long in terms of mouthfeel, but it does deliver a good dollop of that typical Brunello intensity. Only 5,000 bottles were made.

JANCIS ROBINSON 18 points
Maturing mid ruby with orange tinges. A little savoury and subdued but with a clear minerally streak. A core of pure sour-cherry and raspberry fruit with bags of gorgeous gravelly tannins. Fluid and firm at the same time. (WS)