The best Brunello di Montalcino to buy in Australia (Il Colle di Carli)
For one of Italy's greatest reds, from a tiny grower rather than a big estate, our Brunello di Montalcino comes from Il Colle di Carli, made by winemaker Caterina Carli. We only secure a small allocation each year.
What makes Brunello special?
Brunello di Montalcino is made entirely from a particular clone of Sangiovese, grown in the warm hills of southern Tuscany and aged for years before release. Done well it is powerful and long-lived, with the kind of complexity that unfolds slowly in the glass over an evening.
Our Brunello: Il Colle di Carli
This is a lesson in just how great Brunello, and red wine generally, can be. It is farmed organically, fermented with native yeasts, and aged for forty months in large old oak. Even young it shows an extraordinary breadth of flavours: cloves, black pepper, mint and thyme, blackberries and kalamata olives, cured meat and porcini mushrooms, cedar and toasted almonds. Caterina tells us it could be cellared for many decades and we've tried many very old vintages from her cellar which attest to its longevity. There is also a lightness and delicacy that weaves through all that muscle. It is a wine to drink slowly, over hours or even days.
Prefer something to drink sooner? Try the Rosso di Montalcino
If you love the style but want a bottle for this week rather than this decade, Il Colle di Carli also makes a Rosso di Montalcino, the earlier-drinking sibling from the same hands, and one that Max Allen named in his top 20 wines of 2025.
Why buy from a small Montalcino grower?
Because you get a genuinely world-class wine, made by a woman on her own land, in quantities so small we have to decide how much of our allocation we can bear to part with. It is quality and provenance you simply cannot get from a big commercial label.
How to buy and drink
We sell in mixed sixes with free delivery. Give it two to three hours of air if you are opening it young, and pair it with something rich like ossobuco or a mushroom risotto. In hot weather we hold shipping to protect the wine.
FAQ
What is the best Brunello di Montalcino in Australia? We import a small allocation of Il Colle di Carli's Brunello, made by Caterina Carli, farmed organically and aged forty months in large format oak.
What grape is Brunello? Brunello di Montalcino is made entirely from Sangiovese, grown in southern Tuscany.
How long can you cellar Brunello? For decades. We've drunk 40 year old Brunello from Caterina Carli's cellar that were spectacular.
What is the difference between Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino? They come from the same area and grape, but Rosso is made in a lighter, earlier-drinking style. We carry both.