Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino 2017
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Robert
Parker
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This is a very elegant and perfumed expression of Sangiovese with lifted floral aromas that recall blue flower and dried wild rose. Beyond those delicate tones, you get cherry, cassis, strawberry, cedar, stone dust, and wet earth. The symmetry here is impeccable, as is its purity of fruit, with fine-grained, dusty tannins that result in a structured finale.
Organically grown
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Le Ragnaie 2017 Brunello di Montalcino is a delicate and graceful expression that unfolds carefully to reveal wild berry, dried lilac and pretty earthy tones. This 26,000-bottle release fits into that enviable school of Brunello that prioritizes tradition, elegance and purity. These are the basic traits of a great Sangiovese, but they are not easily achieved by all. Le Ragnaie's identity is deeply linked with these efforts. Lifted notes of dried mint or Mediterranean herb appear on the close.
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Le Ragnaie is known for its elegant, terroir-driven wines that stand out in this Tuscan powerhouse category. The owner and winemaker, Riccardo Campinoti, acquired the property in 2002 and has expanded the estate to include 28 hectares covering three distinct parcels within Montalcino. The parcels Le Ragnaie and Petroso both are centered around the village of Montalcino and have the region’s highest elevation vineyards and oldest winemaking history, respectively. Additionally, the vineyards La Fornace Loreto and La Cava lie in the southern portion of Montalcino within Castelnuovo dell’Abate, adjacent to the iconic Poggio di Sotto.
Le Ragnaie makes complex, traditional wines from Sangiovese Grosso, Riccardo’s wines exhibit elegance and finesse from by farming some of the highest altitude vineyards in Montalcino. All four Brunello wines are fermented in concrete without selected yeast followed by a long maceration up to 90 days and three years in large Slavonian oak botti. All wines are bottled unfiltered and certified organic in the vineyards and cellar.
When asked about his winemaking, Riccardo describes himself firmly as a Traditionalist. He believes in long maturations, light-handed winemaking, elegant tannin extraction, refined concentration and aging in large Slavonian oak barrels. He pays close attention to yields so as to not create heavy handed wines, allowing the terroir of each site to be fully expressed.
“The key is balance. You want to have a good balance between alcohol, acidity, structure, and finesse. I think, for Sangiovese, it's a little bit more difficult to obtain this with small barrels. I think Sangiovese, in my opinion, needs to age slowly with the right amount of exposure to oxygen via the oak staves which are porous, whilst ageing in the barrel, and also the right amount of oak. New barrels, especially small new barrels, give off a lot of oak to the wine. There was a debate about whether this oak would dissolve after a few years. I think it doesn't. I think its always a bit more present in the wines once they are bottled. And also the tannins are a bit more astringent.” – Riccardo Campinoti
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.
Famous for its bold, layered and long-lived red, Brunello di Montalcino, the town of Montalcino is about 70 miles south of Florence, and has a warmer and drier climate than that of its neighbor, Chianti. The Sangiovese grape is king here, as it is in Chianti, but Montalcino has its own clone called Brunello.
The Brunello vineyards of Montalcino blanket the rolling hills surrounding the village and fan out at various elevations, creating the potential for Brunello wines expressing different styles. From the valleys, where deeper deposits of clay are found, come wines typically bolder, more concentrated and rich in opulent black fruit. The hillside vineyards produce wines more concentrated in red fruits and floral aromas; these sites reach up to over 1,600 feet and have shallow soils of rocks and shale.
Brunello di Montalcino by law must be aged a minimum of four years, including two years in barrel before realease and once released, typically needs more time in bottle for its drinking potential to be fully reached. The good news is that Montalcino makes a “baby brother” version. The wines called Rosso di Montalcino are often made from younger vines, aged for about a year before release, offer extraordinary values and are ready to drink young.