Cantine Dei Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2021 750ml

High on the hills above the Val di Chiana, the hilltop town of Montepulciano has been shaping Sangiovese — here called Prugnolo Gentile — into something distinctly aristocratic for centuries. Cantine Dei is among its finest custodians. Founded when Alibrando Dei acquired the legendary Bossona vineyard in 1964, the estate reached its full expression under his granddaughter Caterina, who returned to Montepulciano in the early 1990s with a singular conviction: that these wines exist to reveal their land, not obscure it. The first Dei Vino Nobile was released from the exceptional 1985 harvest. Four decades on, the intention hasn't changed.

The 2021 is a luminous ruby with garnet tones, and it opens with an intense bouquet of ripe cherries, plums, violets, and iron-tinged earth. On the palate it walks the line between fruity and savory with real grace — full-bodied yet poised, with velvety tannins, fine acidity, and notes of almond, camphor, and tobacco that build through a long, lively finish. Paolo Caciorgna's winemaking is as restrained as ever: the fruit speaks, and the structure rewards patience. Drink now through 2035.

93 points — Wine Spectator | “Supple and complex, walking a fine line between fruity and savory, youthful and mature. Cherry, plum, almond, iron, earth and tobacco… fades gracefully on the long, lively aftertaste. Drink now through 2035.” (Vintage 2021). 

92 points — James Suckling | “Aromas of forest floor, black cherries, camphor and dried flowers. Forthright structure with crisp acidity, chalky tannins and a tight finish that’s chewy and polished. Drink or hold.” (Vintage 2021).

• Producer: Cantine Dei
• Vintage: 2021
• Appellation: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG, Tuscany, Italy
• Varietal: Prugnolo Gentile (Sangiovese), Canaiolo
• Farming: Sustainable
• Size: 750ml
• Tasting Notes: Ripe cherry, plum, violet, almond, iron, earth, tobacco, vanilla
• Cellar: Drink now through 2035
• Food Pairings: Bistecca alla Fiorentina, wild boar ragù, aged Pecorino, braised lamb

Ranked #34 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 of 2023 — one of Tuscany’s most compelling values at this level.