Winemaker Notes
A blend of grapes from Le Ragnaie's vineyards, expressing four distinct areas of Montalcino. It ages for 36 months in large Slavonian oak barrels and loyally expresses the trends of each vintage.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Beautifully balanced and featuring delicate flavors of rose, cherry and strawberry, this red is nevertheless solidly built and dense. Iron, tar and wild herb accents add complexity as this ends in a tight grip of dusty tannins. The fruit hangs in there, so be patient.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A medium red hue introduces the 2021 Brunello Di Montalcino, which opens with rosemary, Mediterranean herbs, ripe cherries, and forest earth. The palate is medium to full-bodied and classic in style, with well-defined tannins, bright acidity, and a long finish that keeps it fresh and balanced in this complete vintage.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Le Ragnaie 2021 Brunello di Montalcino delivers terrific character with an especially lively quality that gives the wine lift, tension and clear verticality. Fermented in cement and aged for 36 months in large Slavonian oak casks, it reflects the estate’s artisanal philosophy, favoring personality and expression over excessive polish. Grilled herb and mint linger on the finish, while the palate remains well balanced, fresh and energetic over a medium- to full-bodied texture. This is a Brunello that may take risks stylistically (and not every vintage is perfect), but it rewards with authenticity and character.
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Vinous
More savory than sweet, the 2021 Brunello di Montalcino blossoms in the glass with nuances of wild strawberry, rose petals, mint and white smoke. It is lifted and graceful in feel, with round textures and pretty red berry fruits elevated by tantalizing acidity. A subtle mineral crunch mingles with delicate tannins as the 2021 echoes with a wild berry resonance. This understated yet beautiful Brunello benefited from the inclusion of juice from both the Fornace and Petroso vineyards.
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.