2016 – Year of the Vino Nobile

If you like Brunello di Montalcino, this is a good year to drink Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

The reason is the different vintages on sale now: a bad one for Brunello and perhaps the best vintage in the modern history of its nearby neighbors in Montepulciano. Both wines are made almost entirely from Sangiovese.* The two villages are only about 35 km apart so they should have similar weather, but different rules of production mean wine shops always get the Vino Nobiles first.

(* Brunello rules require it to be made from 100 percent Sangiovese, but we all know how Italian producers feel about rules.)

Most Brunello producers are now releasing their 2014s, and it's a poor vintage. Most wines are dainty, yet low in acid; drinkable but unexciting now, and not promising to cellar for the long run. There are always nice exceptions in any off vintage – Silvio Nardi is one this time – but with the prices Brunello fetches, it's hard to make an argument to stock up. Brunello producers are also now releasing 2013 Riservas, and that wasn't a great vintage either. Better to wait a couple years for your next Brunello buying spree.

Meanwhile, most Vino Nobile producers are releasing their 2016s, and it's their best vintage in years. One wonders if, given the spread of modern viticulture, it might not be the best vintage overall in the history of Vino Nobile, one of the most historic wines in Tuscany, but one which has suffered for decades from falling behind the wines of not just Brunello to the west but Chianti Classico to the north.

I believe 2016 is going to be a banner year in Brunello as well. The most likable wines in Montalcino at Anteprime Toscana, a big annual tasting for the international press, were the 2016 Rosso di Montalcinos – Brunello's second label. Unusually, at the big gala dinner that highlights the event, many people eschewed the expensive single-vineyard Brunellos and stuck to the fresh and charming 2016 Rossos. So if you must have something from Montalcino this year, Rosso is the way to go.

But Rosso di Montalcino costs about as much as Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. And I don't know about you but, given the choice, I'd always rather drink a passionate winery's first wine than a famous winery's second.

The downside of Vino Nobile is usually the tannins, which can be ferocious. Vino Nobile often ages well but isn't always easy to drink on release, especially as it comes out two years earlier than Brunello. But rather than just whine about Brunello producers making more money, a lot of Montepulciano wineries have taken steps toward doing better things with their grapes. In the last two years, two separate groups of producers have issued manifestos that list a lot of technical things they plan to require. Left unsaid is the overarching goal: to start making their wines as consistently desirable as those of their more famous neighbors.

In 2016, many wineries succeeded. Here are my tips for good Vino Nobiles to look for, along with a smattering of the best 2016 Rosso di Montalcinos should you choose to go in that direction.

Dei Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Dei has been one of the best wineries in Montepulciano for a number of years and in 2016 it seemed to take a step ahead of the pack. Dei spent some time slightly on the New World side of the New/Old winemaking divide but in recent years it has straddled the middle, to fine effect. This wine is juicy and fresh, and you don't even notice the tannins. Delightful.

Fattoria della Talosa Alboreto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano These wines are aged in a 16th Century cellar actually in the beautiful old town of Montepulciano (most wineries have cellars outside town). This is an intense wine that builds on the palate, delivering plenty of juicy red plum fruit.

Salcheto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Sustainability is a notoriously flexible concept, but this winery seems committed to doing good rather than just claiming it on the label. The grapes are organically farmed, and Salcheto was the first winery in Italy to adopt a welfare plan for its employees. The wine is the payoff: fresh red plum with good length. Tannins are noticeable on the finish, but not drying.

Il Molinaccio La Spinosa Vino Nobile di Montepulciano "La Spinosa" – the porcupine – always struck me as an apt analogy for Vino Nobile: sometimes shy, sometimes thorny. This wine, though, is aromatic and pretty, more like the flower garden where one finds the porcupine.

Boscarelli Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Boscarelli is always among the best producers of Vino Nobile and this year is no exception: fresh red plum fruit with good acid and slightly dusty tannins.

Cupano Rosso di Montalcino Biodynamically grown grapes from a French-inspired estate. This is not a tiny winery by Montalcino standards but most of its wines are sold in Italy, so snap it up if you see it. Fresh red plum fruit with good balance.

Madonna Nera Rosso di Montalcino  La Madonna is a young estate, whose first vintage was 2008: this is not common in Montalcino because aspiring vintners have to buy not just vineyards but the right to make Brunello. This is a well-balanced wine with good fruit and a pleasant spiciness. A cut above other Rossos.

Le Ragnaie Rosso di Montalcino Made from organically grown grapes, some of which are from the highest-elevation vineyard in the Montalcino DOC. This is a very quaffable wine with nice red plum fruit, good freshness and nice balance.