I just don’t drink enough Brunello!

But, other than those living in the heart of Tuscany, who really drinks enough great Italian wine?

There are plenty of so-so or down right unpalatable Chianti wines. There are some good ones as well, of course. But for the true expression of the Sangiovese grape and Tuscany’s finest, you have to drink Brunello.

Now there is a drawback and that’s price. Brunello isn’t cheap. A decent bottle of Tuscany’s best expression of the great Italian grape starts at about $50 – and that is the low end. A really good bottle will probably cost you between $60-$90.

I had a tough week juggling personal, professional and more the past seven days then on Friday closed on a nice bungalow I shall live in for a few years before retirement. I painted and worked today only to realize I didn’t celebrate the closing.

Mild sausage, ground turkey, seasoned tomatoes, crushed tomatos, garlic, onion, splash of red wine, beef broth and cook the heck out of it!

So after whipping up some pretty tasty pasta, I started sipping a killer Piccini Villa al Cortile 2008 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. Full disclosure: This is an $80 bottle of wine in my wine rack as a trade sample.

The online ratings were all over the place but I liked it a lot. Picini is a very old name with more than 100 years of winemaking experience. The wine is aged in stainless steel and oak. It has a killer nose and wonderful dark fruit, chocolate, tobacco and earthiness.

Many will tell you not to touch a Brunello for 10 years. I’m not sure about that, but this bottle was doing some pretty great things at six years. It did improve with some decanting and time to open up.

Piccini is a brand that’s on many better wine shop shelves. But think about a Reserva and the price point when you want a great bottle of Italian Brunello.

Piccini Villa al Cortile 2008 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, SRP $90, Trade Sample, Very Highly Recommended