Last Monday’s Italian Wine Class got a little mental over Terra Rosa’s Brunello di Montalcino. Especially after our teacher Luca told us he seven bottles left of this wine, only 135-cases of which were produced, ten hands went up, chairs nearly tipping backward: “Can I have one?” Then, when one classmate slipped out the door with an armful of purchases, we panicked. “He didn’t buy all of that Brunello, did he?” We would have chased him down the street, that’s how much we loved it.

For how and why you can get in on the Brunello craze, click here:

Although this particular Brunello may be hard to track down, its standout quality is proof that y’all should feel confident purchasing Brunello di Montalcino these days. The area in Tuscany Brunello comes from has had a series of great vintages lately (with the possible exception of 2002), and in general this wine, made from a local clone of sangiovese, is wonderful to drink with robust Italian dishes, steak, roast beef, game … go all out. Since more famous names can cost more than $75 bottle, Brunello is definitely a splurge wine, but at $55 Terra Rossa’s is proof that you can get super quality at a more digestible price point.

As for the Terra Rosa, the 1999 had the sweetest of noses: black cherry, ripe blackberry, violets, and a little vanilla. That was followed by a medium-to-full-bodied wine with a notably soft, coating mouthfeel — slightly creamy but not cloying. Chocolate, coffee, and loads of clean, primary fruit flavors were wrapped up in a remarkably balanced package; all of us tasters, in fact, were impressed with how moderately-dosed and integrated the oak came off. Bravo!

Our runner-up favorite? Fanetti’s Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2001 ($25), made in a neighboring town in Tuscany. This refined vintage struck us as the most feminine expression of the sangioveses we drank that night: a flirty nose of cedar, cherry, and a little green pepper; delicate flavors of cherry, herbs, rose petals, and a tiny bit of leather; a fresh, dry finish.