Brunello Vintage Chart: Understanding Montalcino Years
Updated
Brunello's official vintage rating stopped in 2020. Any Brunello vintage chart you read today ends there. The Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino has awarded no stars to 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 or 2025. The bottle on the shelf now is the first one it graded a different way. A vintage wine, by definition, is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In the European Union, the requirement is 85% same-year content for vintage-dated wine. The Consorzio ran a five-star scale from 1992 to 2020. Its published record shows five stars for Tuscany 2020, Tuscany 2019, Tuscany 2016, Tuscany 2015 and Tuscany 2012. It gave four stars for 2018, 2017 and 2013, three for 2014, and two for Tuscany 2002, the weakest year it has graded this century. Since the 2020 harvest, the Consorzio has published Brunello Forma instead, a written vintage statement drawn from 60 weather parameters. This new system began with the 2021 harvest.
What is the Consorzio's Brunello vintage chart?
The Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino previously used a five-star rating system to evaluate vintages from 1992 to 2020. This system provided a quick reference for the overall quality of a harvest.
The Consorzio's star ratings for recent vintages are:
| Vintage | Consorzio Star Rating |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 5 stars |
| 2019 | 5 stars |
| 2018 | 4 stars |
| 2017 | 4 stars |
| 2016 | 5 stars |
| 2015 | 5 stars |
| 2014 | 3 stars |
| 2013 | 4 stars |
| 2012 | 5 stars |
| 2002 | 2 stars |
After the 2020 harvest, the Consorzio transitioned from the star rating to a new system called Brunello Forma. This system provides a written vintage statement based on 60 weather parameters, rather than a numerical score. The 2021 vintage was the first that the Consorzio judged under Brunello Forma. The Consorzio has awarded no star ratings for 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, or 2025.
How do other regions classify vintages?
Other wine regions employ various methods for vintage classification. Those range from official governmental decrees to historical private classifications that are regularly updated. In Spain, for example, wine regulators publish official classifications of each vintage.
Bordeaux is a region known for its fine wines. It has four different classifications that cover various parts of the area. These include:
- The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855: This classification covers red wines of Médoc (with one exception) and sweet wines of Sauternes-Barsac. Emperor Napoleon III requested it for the Exposition Universelle de Paris. It ranked wines into five categories according to price. The first growth red wines are among the world's most expensive.
- The 1955 Official Classification of St.-Émilion: An initial classification in 1953 gave way to a revision in 1959. Updates come approximately once every ten years.
- The 1959 Official Classification of Graves: This classification was initially established in 1953 and revised in 1959.
- The Cru Bourgeois Classification: This began as an unofficial classification, gained official status, and was last updated in 2003. However, legal challenges led to its annulment in 2007. Plans existed to revive it as an unofficial classification. A new list of Crus Bourgeois appeared in September 2010 as a recognition of quality, with a yearly reappraisal. It is no longer a recognized classification.
It is worth noting that some regions, like Pomerol in Bordeaux, have no official classification. Despite this, certain Pomerol wines, such as Château Pétrus, are often considered equivalent to the first growths of the 1855 classification. They can sell for even higher prices. Understanding these classifications can be crucial for assessing a wine's potential value and its place in the broader fine wine market. You can explore more about regional classifications and their impact on value through our fine wine investment guides.
Does a vintage chart predict quality reliably?
The importance assigned to vintage is "both varied and disputed,". For wine produced in regions at the colder climatic limits of wine production, vintage can be "very important". Warmer seasons produce riper grapes and better wine. Conversely, a poor growing season can result in grapes that are "higher in acid and lower in sugar," affecting the resulting wine's quality.
However, in many wine regions, particularly in the New World, growing seasons are "much more uniform." The systematic and controlled use of irrigation in dry regions also contributes to uniform vintages. Wine columnist Frank J. Prial declared the vintage chart "dead," writing that "winemakers of the world have rendered the vintage chart obsolete." Bill Marsano added that "winemakers now have the technology and skills to make good and even very good wines in undistinguished years." James Laube of Wine Spectator asserted that "even an average vintage can yield some grand wines."
Roman Weil is co-chairman of the Oenonomy Society of the US. He tested the hypothesis that experienced wine drinkers "cannot distinguish in blind tastings the wine of years rated high from those of years rated low, or, if they can, they do not agree with the vintage chart's preferences,". Weil used wines ranging from four to 17 years beyond their vintage with 240 wine drinkers. He found that the tasters could not distinguish between wines of good and bad vintages, except for Bordeaux wines. Even when a distinction was made, the match between tasters' individual assessments and the charts' rankings was little better than tossing a coin. When the tests were replicated with wine experts, including French wine academics, the results were again "the same as chance."
Despite these findings, Weil does not consider a vintage chart useless. He suggests using one to help "find good buys in wine," as wine made in years considered worse than average for vintages may be priced far below its actual quality. This perspective highlights that a Brunello vintage chart can be a tool for strategic buying. It is not an absolute predictor of individual bottle quality. For more insights into market trends, consult our live fine wine market index.
How should you store Brunello to preserve its vintage quality?
Proper storage is critical for preserving the quality of your Brunello, especially given its potential for aging. The AWRI Technical Note TN09 recommends storing bottled wine with the cork in contact with the wine in a "cool (15-20°C), dry location."
Excessive storage temperatures have a "marked effect on the shelf life of bottled wine," according to AWRI Technical Note TN09. Marais (1986) observed the development of "faulty flavours and decreasing overall quality after 12 months’ storage of wine at 30°C." Temperatures "in excess of 40°C will induce visual and sensory changes to a wine in only a matter of days," as stated by Ough (1986). Ough (1992) further advises that "any storage place where the temperature exceeds 25°C for long periods and 40°C for short periods can affect wine quality." Such exposure can also lead to "Leakage of wine and/or movement of cork stoppers" due to thermal expansion. That affects the wine's appearance and marketability. While physical damage does not necessarily imply quality degradation, it is a clear indicator of suboptimal conditions. For more on bottle condition, see our guide on wine ullage levels explained.
Light also poses a significant threat to wine quality. Exposure to light can cause "lightstruck flavour," which Maujean and Seguin (1983) attributed to the formation of volatile sulfur compounds. Dozon and Noble (1989) found that still and sparkling white wines in green glass developed a "lightstruck flavour" after 31.1 hours and 18 hours, respectively, under fluorescent lamps. The same wines stored in clear glass developed a statistically significant level of this off-flavour after only 3.3 hours and 3.4 hours. Sensory assessment of affected wines indicated a decrease in "citrus" aromas and an increase in "cooked cabbage," "corn," "wet wool/wet dog," and "soy/marmite" aromas. Direct sunlight is more damaging still, providing 4286 times the UV-A radiation of fluorescent lamps. That makes sunlight "more deleterious to wine quality than exposure to electric lighting systems," according to Gordon Watson (AWRI Technical Note TN09). To mitigate light damage, Rankine (1989) indicates that amber glass is "most effective in excluding wavelengths below about 450 nm."
The AWRI recommends storing wine under "insulated and/or temperature- controlled storage conditions, which minimise fluctuations in both temperature and humidity." Prolonged storage in a refrigerator could adversely affect wine quality due to compressor vibrations. The Institute has been unable to find any literature on this specific subject. For comprehensive guidance on protecting your collection, review our how to store wine guide.
When you are ready to decide if a wine is entering its optimal drinking window, our 40/60 score on every wine provides a clear, data-driven recommendation.