Wine Advocate 94+
The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino is a delicate and graceful wine. It shows the precision, linearity and power of the vintage for sure, but it also delivers floral tones, bright raspberry, toasted almond and a playful touch of medicinal herb that shape a careful and contemplative bouquet. Those bright aromatic nuances are followed by silky tannins and softly finessed fruit flavors. With an ample 160,000 bottles made, this is a solid go-to Brunello, especially if you are looking for a bottle with a relatively accessible drinking window. There is a little something special that pulls at my heartstrings each year when I taste the wines of Fattoria dei Barbi. It's connected to the realization that I am tasting a creation made by one of the region's oldest estates and the respect I feel for the family that has carried forth this proud agricultural tradition with such care. This estate is located at the heart of the appellation on the "collina" (or hill) where Brunello was born.

100% Sangiovese Grosso
Brilliant ruby red with a touch of garnet. Intense aromas of ripe cherry rounded by scents of citrus and spices, wild herbs, earthy hues. On the palate, the wine is soft and balanced with delicate tannins and vibrant acidity, long persistency. This wine is a perfect match for roasted or grilled red meats, game, venison, stewed wild boar. Excellent with mature cheeses. ~winery notes

Barbis Blue Label Brunello is the heart of the estates production and its flagship bottling. The family has been producing Brunello from this vineyard since 1892. The current label was designed by Vittorio Zani, an artist from Siena, where it was first used for the Brunello 1957 vintage. Sourced from the estates 41 hectares (100 acres) in the southeast area of Montalcino. Vineyards are planted at 5,200 plants per hectare with yields of 1.3kg per vine. Two types of soils prevail; gravel and clay soils produce wines with power, while more sandy soils heighten aromatics.

Fattoria dei Barbi is among a prestigious group of estates that has played an integral part in writing the history of Italian wine. In fact, the estate is one of only five in Montalcino that have continuously operated for over 100 years. The Colombini family, one of regions most influential families, founded the estate in 1790. The family has owned land in Montalcino since 1352, first building the Poggio alle Mura estate (now Castello Banfi), then Argiano, and finally they began assembling Fattoria dei Barbi in 1790, where they have produced wine ever since. The estate is currently owned and managed by the 20th generation heir, Stefano Cinelli Colombini, who carries on constantly seeking innovation through research and the application of new techniques.

Along with the Biondi-Santi family, the Colombini family helped build the reputation of Brunello di Montalcino as a wine of great quality and prestige worldwide. Fattoria dei Barbi is among the original producers of Brunello di Montalcino with bottles dating back to the 1892 vintage in its cellar. The estate, whose name is derived from Barbo, a reference to the seashell fossils found throughout the vineyards, received top awards at exhibitions all over Europe since the first vintages and was the first to export Brunello to the USA (1962), followed by the UK (1972) and Japan (early 1980s). The Barbi Blue Label, created in 1958, is today one of the most widely recognized Brunello bottlings in the world and the first Brunello to be imported in the USA.