4.4 Vivino Stars (60+ reviews)

It’s not often that a Riserva Brunello, with nearly a decade of aging at the winery, drops in your lap. But that is the case today, and it comes with a massive discount. This elegant, refined Brunello exudes dark, brooding fruit, fragrant flowers, and earthy notes, with a finish Vinous calls “heroically structured.” La Serena’s vineyards share the same top-tier terroir as their legendary neighbors Biondi Santi Il Greppo ($500+) and Cerbaiona ($150+). This 2012 Riserva is yours for 46% off the winery price and a fraction of those legendary neighbors!

James Suckling 94 Points

This is an upbeat and forthright style with cedary oak wedged into aromas of ripe red plums and cherries with gently earthy complexity. The palate has a very punchy core of grippy tannins that deliver rich black cherries and abundant, woody spices. Drink or hold.

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate 93 Points

This wine pours from the bottle with luscious, dark intensity. The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Gemini offers a much more robust and grounded textured when compared to the 2013 Brunello Annata. You can taste the elevated summer temperatures in this vintage, and you can see it in the thick concentration and dark appearance of the wine. Indeed, there is a bit of sweet stickiness on the finish, thanks to all that ripe fruit and dark cherry richness.

Vinous 93 Points

The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Gemini is dark and woodsy in the glass, showcasing fruit first, with crushed plum, ripe black cherry and balsamic spice, as grounding notes of dusty minerals, animal musk and dried florals develop late. Soft, creamy, enveloping textures leave behind a mix of sweet and savory cherry, minerals and inner herbal tones. The finish is long, and heroically structured, as it’s grippy tannins clench the senses, letting only a hint of tart red fruits, minerals and a tug of zesty acids through. This may be a big, dark and austere wine today, but I believe the best is yet to come. Drinking window: 2026 – 2040.