Wine Pick: Altesino Brunello di Montalcino 2012

Meet the bottle that is at the nexus of value, pedigree and outright deliciousness.

Listed below is everything you need to know about Altesino Brunello di Montalcino—because trust us, you’re gonna want to know this bottle.

BrunelloBrunello has to be made from 100-percent sangiovese grosso (a clone considered more elegant than sangiovese picollo, which is more common in Chianti).

DOCGThis is the Italian Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita, a list of 74 wines recognized as having geographical significance. Every bottle has a numbered government seal across it to prevent manipulation.

LocationBrunello is in southern Tuscany (its famous neighbour, Chianti, is from the northern part of Tuscany).

ScoresWhile we don’t care about scores (right? right?), this wine received a score of 96 points from Wine Spectator (which named it #11 on their famed Top 100 of 2017), besting many more expensive labels (and it also got 94 points from Wine Enthusiast).

QuantityOften prestige wines (especially those with sexy high point scores), if they arrive here at all, arrive in tiny quantities. There are 500 cases of this wine available and it’s in 45 stores.

CostThis bottle retails for $57 at the BCLDB, which makes it one of the cheapest brunellos in B.C. The regular price at U.S. mega retailer BevMo is $75 U.S. (or $96 Canadian), meaning it’s a rare deal in B.C.

VintageOddly, 2012 is the current release of this wine. By law, Brunello has to be aged at least two years in oak and four months in bottle before it can be sold. This producer goes further with a four-year aging program.

Check back for more—best buys! Okanagan gems! Smart investments!—from our 2018 Wine Issue!