Le Ragnaie Casanovina Montosoli Brunello di Montalcino (3 Liter Bottle) 2016
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Wine
Spectator -
James
Suckling -
Wine &
Spirits -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker - Decanter
Product Details
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Somm Note
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Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
The immediate impression of this Brunello showcases its harmony and charm, evoking black cherry, blackberry, violet, mineral and woodsy flavors. Iron and tobacco accents emerge as this builds on the palate to the long aftertaste, with well-integrated tannins. Concentrated, yet never heavy or imbalanced.
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James Suckling
The flowers, dark mushrooms, forest floor and black cherries are impressive on the nose. Full-bodied with ultra fine and intense tannins that are refined and polished. Very long and polished at the finish.
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Wine & Spirits
In 2014, Campi-noti purchased close to 2.5 acres of vines on the Montosoli hill just north of Montalcino’s village walls. This second vintage of his single-vineyard Montosoli bottling shows dark and savory under- tones that make it more sensuous than his lin-ear V.V. bottling. Its impressive concentration of red-berry and cherry flavors balance high-toned accents of thyme and orange peel.
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Jeb Dunnuck
In 2015, Le Ragnaie purchased this parcel of the Motosoli vineyard just below the historic site of Altesino’s property. The 2016 Brunello Di Montalcino Casanovina Motosoli reveals forward fruit aromas of cherry liquor, cinnamon, fresh leather and forest floor. The palate offers fresh ripe cherry fruit, bitter herbs, and black tea, with more angular tannin, while still having fresh acidity.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Le Ragnaie 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Casanovina Montosoli shows the same level of dark fruit intensity that we saw in the other new releases from this estate, however I get more toasted nut and crushed stone in this wine. Like the others, it sees an extended fermentation lasting 45 days or more (with indigenous yeasts). Dark berry fruit and cherry are followed by crushed stone and slate. This expression has an extra layer of elegance and finesse, with only 3,800 bottles produced.
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Decanter
Le Ragnaie is among about 10 producers now making a separate Montosoli bottling. Riccardo Campinoti purchased a one-hectare plot on the lower part of this revered hill at the end of 2014, and this second vintage is a beauty. Plum and earth give way to scents of smoky incense and lilac. Initially tight, it becomes more yielding as it sits in the glass, demonstrating some roundness to the fruit. Fine, silky tannins frame the palate while succulent acidity keep it fresh. The finish lingers with an explosion of crushed flowers.
Other Vintages
2018-
Jeb
Dunnuck - Decanter
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Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator
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Robert
Parker - Decanter
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Wine
Spectator
-
Wine
Spectator -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling -
Wine &
Spirits
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.