La Màgia, Rosso di Montalcino

The fundamental premise of Rosso di Montalcino is about as appealing as it gets: Source prime Sangiovese from the same vineyards that supply your Brunello di Montalcino, but age it for a much shorter period in oak (if at all) and release it to the market the year after the vintage—at a fraction of the price of the Brunello. Who doesn’t take that deal? In my opinion, it’s one of the best in all of wine, because a proper Rosso di Montalcino like today’s ’18 from La Màgia may be half the price of its Brunello sibling, but it is hardly half the wine. Don’t get me wrong: “Half” of a top-tier Brunello di Montalcino is still going to outclass countless “wholes” from around the world (many of them much more expensive, no less), and frankly, sometimes the lighter, less oak-influenced expressions of Sangiovese are the ones I prefer. I know there are plenty of sommeliers who share that opinion, because Rosso di Montalcino’s unparalleled price/quality relationship makes it perhaps the ultimate res