WHAT

Sangiovese Grosso (Brunello)

WHEN

2016

WHERE

Montosoli, Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy

Baricci is one of Brunello's founding estates. When the denomination was formalized in 1980 as Italy's first DOCG, Nello Baricci — a farmer who had been making wine in Montalcino since before it was famous — was listed first among the original producers, recognized as a founding member of the Brunello Consortium. The estate occupies the Montosoli hill, a north-facing cru just outside the town of Montalcino that many consider the appellation's greatest single site. Montosoli covers only 5 hectares — less than 3% of the entire Brunello denomination. The Baricci family farms all of it.

The "Nello" Riserva is produced only in the finest vintages, named in honor of Nello Baricci after he passed away in 2017. It comes from a single choice parcel within Montosoli, macerated on skins for 21–24 days (longer than the standard Brunello), aged in large traditional Slavonian oak casks, and released only after extended bottle aging. The 2016 vintage is considered one of Brunello's greatest in a generation — structured, cool-toned, and built for decades. Federico Buffi, Nello's grandson, now tends these vines with the same organic, minimal-intervention philosophy his grandfather practiced before it had a name. This is a wine to cellar or open with full ceremony.