I first visited Montalcino in the summer of 1982. It was scorchingly hot when I arrived at the Fattoria dei Barbi, and upon entry to the cellar, there was a unique calmness—ok coolness as well—it was a serene silence among barrels of a size I’d never seen before. The 1982 vintage turned out to be a great year for Brunello di Montalcino and marked the beginning of Brunello di Montalcino’s entrance on the world stage as a wine to be reckoned with. Previously, only Italophiles knew about this wine and perhaps a few scattered wine merchants and restaurateurs. There has been a parade of “Great Vintages” since, as the producers have learned to grow better grapes and make better wines.

Oddly enough this boom of Brunello interest was mostly created by Americans—yep, that’s correct the Mariani family. The folks who brought you Riunite Lambrusco in the 1960s and 1970s purchased the Poggio Alle Mura estate in the southwest corner of Montalcino. They were the folks who brought Brunello di Montalcino to the American public, and we should all thank them. Montalcino as a region has its origins in the 19th century, with merely a few current producers, Biondi Santi and Fattoria dei Barbi, among the first. Yet it wasn’t until the mid 1960s, after the founding of the Consorzio Brunello di Montalcino, that another 28 producers started producing wine—unlike the Bordeaux region which has centuries of documented history, Montalcino is a mere babe. Since then, I have spent a lot of time in Montalcino, most years I visit at least two or three times, and I’ve seen an array of vintages, from difficult to very good to mind-blowing. 1985 was the vintage that put Tuscany on the map—that winter there was a terrible freeze for days that killed a huge percentage of the olive trees and drove the sap in the vines deep down. The resulting harvest surprised everyone and was touted as the “best ever.” The wines were incredible, with concentrated fruit, heavenly aromatics, incredible length, and a long, lingering finish. It was great—still is—and the following years produced some sensational wines. But 1985 is still a benchmark among Montalcino’s “great vintages.”

In my judgement the 1990, 1996,1999, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2016, and now 2019 vintages all have had something really exceptional. That doesn’t mean there aren’t fabulous wines produced every year, because there are. But these stood out for me in my personal pantheon because most everyone made good-to-great wines and the vintages had a defining characteristic. The 2010 vintage for me was a revelation, and there hasn’t been anything that tasted like those wines before or since. The savory, salty nature was so unusual and intellectually satisfying while being hedonistically thrilling—truly something really special.

Ok so why all the history you might ask? I thought it was really the only way to introduce this 2019 vintage, because it too is something uniquely special. I could have put in a list of all the wines we have for sale with the points of all the critics, highest score first of course, and have all the wine geeks put the scores and prices through an algorithm they personally created to come up with the best wine to buy. If you are one of those people, I’m sorry, don’t take this personally, but that’s not my style… 2019 is a sensational vintage. It’s alive; it isn’t a number. It is the most exciting vintage since 2010. The wines are a gift of purity, intellectual intrigue, liquid pulchritude—they are sensational. I could tell you my favorites, but what good is that to you? I suggest all of the wines you’ve loved before, these are the wine you need to buy and buy a lot, you won’t regret it.

*Editor’s note: we’re happy to tell you some favorites! The 2019s are exceptional across the board, but here are a few that stand out.*

2019 Casanova di Neri "White label" Brunello di Montalcino $64.99 95WA

2019 Casanova di Neri "Tenuta Nuova" Brunello di Montalcino (Pre-Arrival) $129.99 97WA 96JS

2019 Cerbaiona Brunello di Montalcino (Pre-Arrival) $199.99

2019 Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Brunello di Montalcino (Pre-Arrival) $64.99 98KO 95WA

2019 Fattoria dei Barbi "Vigna del Fiore" Brunello di Montalcino (Pre-Arrival) $89.99 96WA 95VN

2019 Fattoria dei Barbi Brunello di Montalcino (Pre-Arrival) $49.99 95JS

2019 Le Ragnaie "Montosoli" Brunello di Montalcino (Pre-Arrival) $159.99

2019 Le Ragnaie "Passo del Lume Spento" Brunello di Montalcino (Pre-Arrival) $159.99

2019 Le Ragnaie "Petroso" Brunello di Montalcino (Pre-Arrival) $159.99

2019 Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino (Pre-Arrival) $79.99 95WA

2019 Lisini Brunello di Montalcino (Pre-Arrival) $54.99 98KO