Cava D’onice Brunello Di Montalcino Sensis 2016

The Cava D’Onice story is one of complete dedication along with playing the long game. This little completely family-owned and operated winery started off in the mid-1990s by making only 266 bottles(!) in their first vintage but over the course of nearly 30 years has blossomed into a beautiful project in Castelnuovo dell’Abate section of Montalcino.

The important lesson the Nannetti family learned early on was that without the money and land holdings as some of their uber-wealthy neighbors, they were never going to match the production of some of the big-boys that dominate the Tuscan landscape. However, if they emphasized quality, and the production and aging process, maybe their reputation would grow and they could build their production up slowly.

They age their wines typically for four to five years (longer than that is required, but the ideal length for what the family is going for). The first three years are spent in French Oak barrels followed by one more year in a chilled cellar with neutral oak. Then the wines are bottles and given a little more time to age. It’s an enormous time commitment, but the results are undeniable.

The wines come out as silky and developed as any Brunello di Montalcino you’re going to find. And as a bonus for collectors, their late releases offer one last bite of the apple, even as most bottles in any great vintage have long been snatched up.