- 97 points -

Such wonderful opulence and beauty. The nose shows dried flowers and minerals with blackberries and black cherries. Purity is the word. Full-bodied with incredible depth and structure and polished, silky tannins that envelop your palate. The length is really impressive. Try after 2025.

- 96 points -

- 95 points -

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne from Siro Pacenti is dark and youthfully folded in upon itself. This pulls you closer to the glass, as it slowly reveals a nuanced display of olive-tinged blackberry and plum, with hints of mocha, balsamic spice and tanned leather. It’s deeply textural, with velvety waves of ripe black fruits laced with tactile minerals, propelled by vibrant acids which carry its medium-bodied weight with ease. Youthfully dense, poised and geared for the long term, the 2016 Vecchie Vigne will require a good amount of cellaring to show all of its charms. Hints of licorice and violet florals echo throughout the long and structured finale.

- 95 points -

Menthol, new leather, French oak and spiced blueberry aromas come to the forefront. Full bodied and concentrated, the firmly structured palate delivers dried cherry, grilled Porcini, vanilla and licorice set against assertive, close-grained tannins before closing on a coconut note. Give it time to flesh out in the bottle. Drink 2026–2036. 

- 94 points -

Woodland-berry, forest-floor, new leather and exotic spice aromas take center stage. The firmly structured, elegant palate delivers ripe Morello cherry, star anise, blood orange and tobacco set against close-grained tannins and firm acidity that lead to a rather drying finish.

- 94 points -

I tasted this wine from barrel a few years back, and it's great to follow up on its evolution. Looking back at my notes, I remarked on the generosity, depth and fruit-driven bounty of the Siro Pacenti 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne. Those are the same words I would use to describe the wine today. Indeed, they could sum up the house style that underlines concentration, careful berry selection and an elaborate oak regimen with new French barrique. Fruit from old vines represents a blend of two sites, one with rocky soils to the south and another with clay soils to the north. This wine opens to a nicely saturated appearance with dark berry, spice and tobacco. The wine is structured and firm, owning its tannins to both the fruit and the barrique. I do find the tannins to be astringent at this young stage, so I would hold off from opening this 25,000-bottle release for a long while. Like many of the other producers in Montalcino, Giancarlo Pacenti has captured the linearity and focus of the vintage, but his house style ultimately leaves a bigger mark on the fruit.

- 94 points -

Broad and dense, this red reveals power behind the plum, cherry, earth, leather and underbrush flavors. Will need time to shed its beefy tannins, but the fruit keeps pace on the long finish. Best from 2025 through 2047. 1,800 cases made, 700 cases imported.

- 93 points -

Vous devez l'accorder à ce domaine. Giancarlo Pacenti et son équipe ont mis beaucoup de soin à créer un vin qui offre une intensité et un caractère si agréables que vous ne penserez plus jamais aux difficultés du millésime vécues au cours de cette saison de croissance humide et froide. Le Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne 2014 tire pleinement parti de ces faibles rendements et de ces systèmes de racines profondes associés aux vieilles vignes pour offrir une expression stable et cohérente. En dégustation verticale, le millésime 2014 représente un continuum approprié entre la netteté obtenue en 2013 et la maturité et la douceur plus prononcées que vous obtiendrez dans le prochain millésime 2015. C'est un vin rond et souple, avec des fruits abondants et une structure stable. Quelque 14 000 bouteilles ont été fabriquées.

- 93 points -

- 92 points -

Like the Pelagrilli, the Vecchie Vigne - a selection from vines older than 35 years - blends fruit from the estate’s two sites: one just northeast of the town of Montalcino, and the other near Castelnuovo dell'Abate. Generous new oak is still at the fore but not completely domineering. Star anise, clove and chocolate share the spotlight with forest floor and cedar. Ample in ripe fruit, power and extract, this is surprisingly supple, though dry tannins definitely stick to the edges of the mouth. It retreats into its shell as it sits in the glass.

Drinking Window 2023 - 2033

92+

Rouge rubis foncé. Épices et nuances terreuses complémentent les arômes de cerise mûre, vinaigre balsamique et arômes herbacée; il est à peine plus ample et mûr que le Brunello Pellagrilli 2014. La finale est longue et soyeuse; c'est l'une des meilleures représentations de ce millésime.