🇮🇹 Roberto Cipresso Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2018

Brunello is not here to be “easy.” It’s here to be unforgettable, and this Cipresso bottling shows up with serious Montalcino energy.

Wine Description 

This is Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, which means one thing before it means anything else: Sangiovese only, Montalcino only, and patience required. The Cipresso Brunello comes from Poggio al Sole (Cru) in Tuscany, with a tiny production footprint that screams “save me for a real night.” 

Behind the label is Roberto Cipresso, a Montalcino lifer who started working there in 1987, became general manager at Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona, and founded Fattoria La Fiorita in 1992. If you’ve ever wondered why some wines feel composed instead of chaotic, it’s usually because someone like this is driving. 

Aged 36 months in French oak, this is built for the long game, but it’s not mute. It’s structured, savory, and absolutely the type of bottle that makes a random Tuesday feel wildly overdressed. 

Vine-To-Table: Meet the Winemaker 

Roberto Cipresso is a Montalcino-based winemaker and global consultant who began his career there in 1987 and later founded the small Montalcino estate Fattoria La Fiorita in 1992. He also served as general manager of Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona, where he earned early acclaim tied to their late-1980s and early-1990s Brunello releases. 

The Vibe 

Polished boots, low light, and a playlist that knows what it’s doing. This is the bottle you open when you want Tuscany to do the talking and you want everyone else to shut up for a second.

What it tastes like 

The producer tech sheet leans into ripe red and black fruit (think raspberry, cherry, blueberry, bramble) plus Mediterranean herbs, with vanilla and clove notes from oak. On the palate it’s dry, full-bodied, with high, ripe tannins and a savory finish that hangs around. 

Pairing + When to drink it 

Put this next to grilled meats, roasts, game, or aged cheese, and watch how fast the table gets quiet. It’s absolutely drinkable now if you decant and commit, but it’s also a smart cellar play if you like your reds with more nuance later. 

Quick Specs (bullets)

• Producer: Roberto Cipresso SRL 

• Winemaker: Roberto Cipresso 

• Region/Appellation: Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany (Montalcino, Siena) 

• Grapes: 100% Sangiovese

• Vintage: 2018

• Farming: Sustainably farmed (Indaco certification listed) 

• Winemaking/Aging: Controlled temp fermentation, stainless steel tank, aged 36 months in French oak 

• ABV: 15.0% 

• Bottle size: 750 ml 

• Importer (if applicable): GoWine

Critic Reviews

• Michael Godel, WineAlign: 91 points, reviewed vintage: 2018, date: Not listed. Short excerpt: “High extract and concentration… viscosity and unctuousness…” (excerpt is truncated on the listing). Source: WineAlign listing. 

• Wine Enthusiast: 94 points, reviewed vintage: 2019, 03/01/2025. Short excerpt: mentions “forest floor, new leather” and “sour cherry and pomegranate” among descriptors. Source: Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide.

FAQs

Q: Why is Brunello di Montalcino legally “Sangiovese only,” no exceptions?
A: The official Brunello disciplinare requires the wine be produced exclusively from Sangiovese grown within the commune of Montalcino. That tight rule is basically why Brunello tastes like a place, not like a recipe. 

Q: When can a Brunello vintage like 2018 legally be released?
A: The disciplinare says Brunello cannot be released before January 1 following five years calculated from the harvest vintage. It also requires at least 24 months in oak and at least four months in bottle before release. 

Q: What is “Poggio al Sole (Cru)” on the Cipresso tech sheet?
A: It’s the listed vineyard source for this bottling, and it’s tiny: 1 hectare, with an annual production listed at about 3,300 bottles. Small site, big attitude. 

Q: What kind of soils are we talking about for this Cipresso Brunello?
A: The tech sheet lists tufaceous clays, which often correlates with structure and a more savory feel in the glass. It’s not beach wine soil, it’s “sit down and pay attention” soil. 

Q: Who is Roberto Cipresso, and why does Montalcino take him seriously?
A: He began working in Montalcino in 1987, became general manager of Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona, and founded Fattoria La Fiorita in 1992. That’s decades of local context, not a weekend internship. 

Q: Is this Cipresso Brunello sustainably farmed, or is that just label flirting?
A: The producer tech sheet explicitly states it is sustainably farmed, and notes a sustainable certification by Indaco. If you’re collecting receipts, that’s the one.