Siro Pacenti is one of our favorite Montalcino producers, one that really hit its stride with the iconic 1997 vintage. Now, more than 20 years later, they’ve produced some of their finest wines to date, as one of the most sought-after producers in all of Italy. The 2017 Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne shows an extra degree of concentration and thickness thanks both to the vintage (this hot and dry growing season produced darker, more intense berries) and the older vines that also work toward greater fruit weight, cutting their production down by 50% to create this successful expression of the 2017 vintage. The Vecchie Vigne shows lots of depth and textural weaving with dark berries and oak spice. In fact, the oak (and that big 15% alcohol) is more prominent in this 18,000-bottle release. It offers long-lasting notes of smoke, sweet cedar and woodshop.