Looking For A Great Brunello (Sangiovese)?

Let the WineAlign Critics help you find the Right Wine for the Right Price, Right Now!

Get Your Free Access Now

Top 5 Brunello (Sangiovese) at the LCBO

Find the BEST wines in YOUR price range

  • Over 155,000 wines reviewed and ranked
  • Reviews from Canada's top professional wine critics
  • Articles by Canada's best wine writers
Start drinking better wine now

Latest Articles

If I Could Buy Only One – March 15th Vintages Release


We asked our writers, “If you could buy only one wine from the March 15th release, which one would it be and why?” Bachelder Wismer Parke Pinot Noir 2022, Ontario, Canada$54.95, Lifford Wine & Spirits (Select Wine Merchants)Megha Jandhyala – My “only one” this week is once again a gorgeous Ontario wine that highlights, for […] More

Buyer’s Guide to Vintages March 15th Release


U.S.A. Out, Canada In – Ontario Wineries Need to Be Nimble!by David Lawrason, with reviews by Sara d’Amato and Megha Jandhyala The Vintages catalogue for the March 15th release lists 15 American wines that are, of course, not available. The LCBO could not pivot quickly enough on the news March 2nd that U.S. wines were […] More

If I Could Buy Only One – March 1st Vintages Release


We asked our writers, “If you could buy only one wine from the March 1st release, which one would it be and why?” Tawse Sketches Cabernet/Merlot 2021, Ontario, Canada$22.95, TawseJohn Szabo – This week’s Vintages release celebrates women in wine, and only one (among several) worth celebrating is Tawse Sketches Cabernet/Merlot 2021. The talented Jessica […] More

All Articles

National Wine Awards of Canada

Canada's premier wine awards. In 2022, 24 judges tasted over 1,900 wines from 250 wineries across the country to identify Canada's top wines.

National Wine Awards of Canada

Exchange Wine Club Subscription

The Exchange delivers an exclusive curated, mixed case of top quality wines directly to your door once a quarter. Mixed, All Red and All White options.

Exchange Wine Club Subscription



Brunello (Sangiovese)

Brunello di Montalcino is one of the most prestigious appellations in Italy, born in the 19th Century in its present form thanks to the efforts of the Biondi-Santi family, who defined its rules and have largely guided it to the present day. The wines are made from 100% Sangiovese grape, in particular from a clone called Sangiovese Grosso, or also as Brunello - hence the appellation's name. Traditionally, the wine goes through an extended maceration period where color, tannins and flavour are extracted from the skins. Following fermentation the wine is then aged in oak. Traditionally, the wines are aged 3 years or more in "botti" - large Slovenian oak casks that impart little oak flavour and generally produce more austere wines. Some winemakers will use small French barrels which impart a more pronounced vanilla oak flavour and add a certain fruitiness to the wine. Whatever the approach, wines must be aged for for years (with a minimum of two years in barrel) before being released, according to appellation rules.