Croce di Mezzo Brunello di Montalcino 2015

Croce di Mezzo is a little-known gem of Tuscany that crafts seriously impressive Brunellos in an old-school, pure Montalcino fashion. We’ve been huge fans for years – but when you get an opportunity to taste one at nearly nine years of age… that is when the magic happens!

One of our most beloved family-run producers... truly some of the most soul-warming people and wines from the magical hillside paradise called Montalcino... all tucked up next to two of the greatest Brunello properties of all-time – Biondi Santi and Fattoria Barbi! (Nowhere near those prices, don’t worry...) Croce di Mezzo was a family-run “agriturismo” (they recently sold the property to Enrico and Marco Faccenda, wine brothers from Piedmont, at the helm of Cascina Chicco), and while the production here is small, the wines are gloriously classic, a touch old-school, and outrageously good for the money, even at the original price of $80. To get this, from a vintage that has been called one of the greatest Brunello vintages of the last century, for less than $40, is a dream come true for any Italian lover, and you simply won’t find this for less anywhere else!

Bask in the Tuscan glow of cranberry tea, sun-dried hay and baked clay earth, plus strawberries, dried cherries, rose petals, blood orange, sage, clove, cinnamon, balsamic, saddle leather...and it just keeps going! The texture is silky, but firm tannins, and that classic Italian rusticity makes this sing. Savory, meaty, and simply gorgeous stuff that is in its absolute prime at the moment – though with plenty of life still to come. This is an incredible opportunity to score a brilliant Brunello at a jaw-dropping price... so what are you waiting for?

FOOD PAIRINGS: Lasagna Bolognese... no question. Be authentic and use a bechamel instead of ricotta, and naked sure to get that top a glorious GBD (golden brown = delicious!).