Italy · Tuscany

Cava d'Onice

Cava d'Onice is a Brunello di Montalcino estate that has built its auction record almost entirely on its Riserva bottling — a single wine appearing across 159 lots at $182 per bottle average, with the 2012 vintage the most frequently traded. The Riserva designation in Brunello requires a minimum of six years' aging before release, with extended time in large Slavonian oak casks and bottle. At $182, the estate's Riserva occupies the mid-range of Montalcino secondary-market pricing, above the village producers but well below the ultra-premium estates of Biondi-Santi and Salvioni. The 2012 vintage in Montalcino is considered a very good to excellent year — warm and dry, producing concentrated wines with the structure for long aging — which helps explain its prominence in the auction record. The Cava d'Onice estate sits within the northeastern sector of the Montalcino DOCG, where higher elevations and cooler temperatures tend to produce more aromatic, finely structured Brunello compared to the warmer southern slopes. With 318 total lots concentrated in a single wine, the estate appeals to dedicated Brunello Riserva collectors who seek the extended maturation profile at a mid-range price point.