Biondi Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2016 750mL

99 points Monica Larner (Wine Advocate): "Wow, here is a vintage I've been anxiously waiting to try. The 2016 growing season was one of the best in recent memory in Montalcino, and if we look back in time, this vintage marks the year Biondi-Santi was sold to a French group. The prestigious 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva proves a mighty collector's bottle that will undoubtedly gain in complexity and depth with careful bottle age. The wine offers wild nuances of forest berry and tart cherry, and there are herbal side notes as well as floral tones of dried violet and lilac. The tannins are soft, powdery and feel like they melt away on the palate. Drink: 2028-2060. (May 2023)"

98 points Bruce Sanderson (Wine Spectator): "[$800 list] A harmonious, balanced red, this sets the stage perfectly for the cherry, strawberry, floral, iron and tobacco flavors. Fresh and detailed, with a linear profile and refined structure driving the seemingly endless finish. Superb. Best from 2026 through 2050. (4/5/23)"

98 points James Suckling: “Aromas of strawberries, flowers, fresh mushroom, forest flower, sandalwood, and hints of balsamic. Full-bodied and tight on the finish. This is a linear and fine-tannined red. Available in March 2023. Needs another five years or so to show its full potential. New classic. Better after 2026. (12/1/22)"

98 points Jeb Dunnuck: “The 2016 Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva is layered and unfolds in the glass with incense, baking spice, ripe red cherry, and cedar. It has more concentration and length through the mid-palate and offers an impeccable balance of structure, ripeness, and tension. It is expressive on the nose, but it is even more impactful at this stage with its intensity through the palate, with nearly electric energy of wild raspberry, rose petal, tea leaf, and orange zest. Allow for cellaring another 3-4 years. Drink: 2026-2046. (3/6/23)”

97 points Michaela Morris (Decanter): “The last vintage harvested and vinified by the Biondi Santi family, the 2016 Riserva was subsequently blended by technical director Federico Radi under the new ownership of EPI. It is seamless but difficult to deconstruct in its youth. Eventually, the dark and earthy personality is revealed, doling out liquorice root, moss, wet soil and heather. The tannins are compact and tightly stitched but with such a suave texture of fine chalk. These yield just enough to allow inner fruit sweetness to shine through. Think red cherry and hints of tarragon; then a blood orange tang which melds effortlessly into a bright beam of racy acidity. Drinking Window: 2026-2046. (Nov 2022)”

96 points Eric Guido (Vinous): “Savory depths of sage, red currants, underbrush, dried roses, worn leather, hints of iodine and cedar smolder up from the darkly alluring 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. This impresses first with its purity, then with its energy, seamlessly silky and refined, yet almost racy in style, with saline-infused wild berries and nuances of sour citrus that drench the palate, lifted by a flourish of mint. The 2016 finishes with crystalline tannins, creating an almost-crunchy sensation, as tart red fruits and nuances of licorice slowly taper off. There’s an invigorating feel to the 2016 Riserva that I’ve never witnessed from a bottle of Biondi Santi Brunello, which, coupled with a depth of beautifully pure and delineated fruits, makes it a total pleasure to taste. That said, the 2016 is structured and built for a long and prosperous maturation. Drink 2026-2042. (Dec 2022)”