Biondi-Santi
Brunello di Montalcino, Riserva 2016
About the producer — Biondi-Santi →
Tuscany, Italy · 0.75L
- Vintage
- 2016
- Format
- 0.75L
- Custody
- Bonded storage
Held privately in professional bonded storage. Recorded, not offered. Enquiries by request.
Enquire about this bottle →Why this Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2016 matters
Biondi-Santi pioneered Brunello di Montalcino and has spent over a century demonstrating how slowly its wines evolve when kept properly. The estate famously re-corks its oldest library bottles at the property, under documentation — an unusually explicit statement that custody and condition are the producer’s own standard of value. A Biondi-Santi held in professional storage since acquisition honours that standard; one without records quietly abandons it.
Bonded storage · custody documented · Recorded, not offeredWhy this bottle matters
The 2016 Riserva belongs to the estate's transition period. The vintage was harvested and vinified in the final phase of Biondi-Santi family stewardship — the family whose ancestor Ferruccio made the first Brunello di Montalcino in 1888, and whose name the region's founding clone still carries. The long élevage, final blending and release took place after the Descours family's EPI group had taken control, under technical director Federico Radi. That tension matters. It places the bottle between two eras: the historical authority of the Biondi-Santi family and the first technical decisions of the new ownership. For a Riserva built on continuity, that transition is part of the record, not a footnote. Monica Larner awarded it ninety-nine points in the Wine Advocate; Wine Spectator gave it ninety-eight; Decanter called 2016 a five-star vintage of modern classics. Only around forty Riservas have been declared since 1888.
Cellaring perspective
A Biondi-Santi Riserva is built to last eighty years, and the house has never made a wine designed to please early. Expect it to be closed for a decade, and to spend the following forty finding its full voice. The end of seven generations, in a bottle made to outlive us.
From the same cellar
About this bottle
Is this Biondi-Santi 2016 authentic and how is its provenance documented?
This Biondi-Santi, Brunello di Montalcino, Riserva 2016 0.75L is held in professional bonded storage with documented custody. Its provenance is recorded from acquisition, the bottle remaining in professional custody, and condition is noted. The Empty Drops is a private cellar, not a reseller, and never invents data about a bottle.
How is the bottle stored and shipped?
The bottle is kept in temperature-controlled bonded storage and is not moved unless shipping is requested. It is recorded privately, not offered publicly; it can be released through CruTrade on request.
What does the fill level and condition tell you about this bottle?
Condition is read from the fill level (ullage), capsule and label rather than taken on faith. A bottle that has stayed in professional custody since acquisition avoids the usual weak points — heat, movement and broken records.
Where can I buy Biondi-Santi, Brunello di Montalcino, Riserva 2016 0.75L?
Biondi-Santi, Brunello di Montalcino, Riserva 2016 0.75L is recorded privately in this cellar and is not offered publicly. When a bottle is released it is handled through CruTrade, where condition and custody are documented. To ask about availability, price or a similar bottle, make a private enquiry.