Wine Enthusiast 96
"Delicious and full-bodied, this offers aromas of pine forest, spiced plum, leather and fragrant purple flowers. On the enveloping palate, noble tannins support ripe Morello cherry, raspberry jam and baking spice before a licorice close. Drink 20272032."

Decanter 94
"Located in the southern reaches of the Montalcino zone, near SantAngelo in Colle, Lisini is one of the last in the area to harvest. The wines are full-figured, sumptuous and densely packed yet remain wondrously light on their feet. The 2017, which was harvested between the end of September and beginning of October, is no exception. Dripping with ripe cherries and plums, it is a seductive, rather fruit-driven wine shored up by luscious acidity. Clayey tannins wrap around the palate with an iron grip and just a hint of dryness is absorbed by plush, pulpy fruit. This is hard to resist now. Drinking Window 2023 - 2030"

Vinous Media 93
"The 2017 Brunello di Montalcino is wild and spunky, presenting a mix of sweet rose and raspberry contrasted by savory herbs, hints of sawdust and white pepper. There are depths of tart red berries, spices and minerals on the palate, drenching the senses in primary concentration, yet zesty acids maintain notable balance. A coating of fine tannins lingers through the long, structured finale, along with echoes of violet, blueberry skins and licorice. There is simply so much going on in this glass, but it has the balance to improve through medium-term cellaring.-- Eric Guido"

Wine Advocate 92
"The Lisini 2017 Brunello di Montalcino (with 30,000 bottles made) has some of the baked blackberry aromas and cherry liqueur that are characteristics of this dry and hot growing season. The wine opens to a darkly saturated appearance, and it follows up with tarry smoke, licorice root, crushed stone and potting soil. The wine's personality reflects autumnal flavors of forest floor and balsam herb."

The Wine
100 Sangiovese from the estates massal selection.
Vineyards range from 300 to 350 meters in elevation
Vinification in glass-lined cement tanks with skin contact for 20-26 days.
Aged in 20-52 hectoliter casks for 42 months, followed by 6 to 8 months of bottle age prior to release.
3,000 cases are produced on average each year.

The Estate
Boutique winery Lisini makes quintessential Brunellos that perfectly demonstrate their exclusively Sangiovese origins. Given the cult status and high demand of Lisini Brunellos, these bottlings easily put to rest the idea that what people really want is a little Merlot blended into their Brunellos. Rather than overoak, overextract, or overripen, the firm prefers to craft its classic offerings with the denominations tried and true winemaking methods.Kerin OKeefe, Brunello di Montalcino

There are few other estates in Montalcino with roots as deep as Lisini. The Lisini-Clementi family has owned lands in Montalcino since the sixteenth century, and the historic tower and loggia on the property has its beginnings in the 1300s. The first vines were planted here in the 1930s, well before the international craze for the areas wines. And Lisini wasnt just one of the founding members of the consorzio di Brunello in the 1967: The late Elina Lisini, the head of the family until her passing in 2009 was its first and only female president in 1970! Today, the estate totals roughly 150 hectares that surround the ancient farmhouse and winery, and brothers Carlo and Lorenzo, along with cousin Ludovica, continue the traditions of their forebearers. This includes not just the production of winewhich is based entirely on the noble sangiovese grapebut also of olive oil. Their location, in the hills surrounding SantAngelo in Colle, in the Southwest corner of Montalcino, are particularly favorable to the cultivation of both sangiovese and olives. Their 20 or so hectares of vineyards are at an average elevation of 350 meters above sea level, and open to the south, towards the Maremma area of Tuscany, making them drier and more ventilated than other locations more landlocked than Lisini.

With the history of the Lisini family running so deep in Montalcino, the current regime saw no other way to produce their wines other than with respect for tradition. This means that only sangiovese is grown, fermentations take place in glass lined cement tanks, and all wines age in large Slavonian oak casks. The winemaking at the estate was guided starting in the 1980s for many years by Franco Bernabei (of Felsina and Fontodi fame) who then trained the current staff enologist Filippo Paoletti. The late Giulio Gambelli (the original sangiovesista, responsible for many years at Biondi Santi and Soldera, and the creator of Le Pergole Torte), also collaborated with the Lisinis for a while, and current winemaker Filippo counts both of these as important inspirations and influences on his work.