Winemaker Notes
On the nose clear notes of dark berries and cherries, violet, sweet spices and balsamic ending. On the palate elegant rich and perfectly balanced, salty tannins and long persistence.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
The nose glistens with high toned red fruit, from bing cherries to dried cranberries and raspberries, while overtones of flowers and top soil bring freshness. The palate is juicy with mixed berries, which are lifted by a citrus wave, but undertones of salt, stone and earth provide balance. Acid gleams off polished tannins.
-
Decanter
Opening with forest shrub, pine tree and dried lilac, Ridolfi’s 2019 offers fragrant appeal. The palate is layered and concentrated with red and blackcurrant. Still quite compact with clayey tannins sticking persistently to the palate, it could do with another year or so to unfurl. Nice earthy, floral length. Located in the northeastern sector of Montalcino, Ridolfi’s vineyards sit at an average altitude of 300 metres primarily on clay rich in marine fossils. This estate Brunello gives a sense of place whereas the Donna Rebeca bottling emphasises winemaking style.
-
Wine Spectator
Ripe flavors of cherry, blackberry, plum and earth highlight this red. Muscular tannins emerge on the expanding finish, leaving a solid grip. The balance tips toward the tannins, with a subtle hint of fruit. Best from 2027 through 2042. 5,400 cases made, 1,500 cases imported.
Italian Red Wine
While picturesque hillsides, endless coastlines and a favorable climate serve to unify the grape-growing culture of this country. The apparent never-ending world of indigenous grape varieties gives Italy an unexampled charm and allure for its red wines. From the steep inclines of the Alps to the sprawling, warm, coastal plains of the south, red grape varieties thrive throughout.
The kings of Italy, wines like Barolo and Barbaresco (made of Nebbiolo), and Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino (made of Sangiovese), as well as Amarone (mostly Corvina), play center stage for the most lauded, collected and cellar-worthy reds. Less popular but entirely deserving of as much praise are the wines made from Aglianico, Sagrantino and Nerello Mascalese.
For those accustomed to drinking New World reds, the south is the place to start. Grapes like Negroamaro or Primitvo from Puglia and Nero d’Avola from Sicily make soft, ammicable, full-bodied, fruit-dominant wines. Curious palates should be on the lookout for Cannonau (Grenache), Lagrein, Teroldego, Ruché, Freisa, Cesanese, Schiopettino, Rossese and Gaglioppo to name a few.