Description
Le Ragnaie, Brunello di Montalcino
Every time I taste a wine from Le Ragnaie, I think: Well, some people just “get it.” Since purchasing their estate in Montalcino in 2000, Riccardo and Jennifer Campinoti have been fast-rising stars in this crowded—and star-crossed—region. Montalcino is the big leagues, and Le Ragnaie has become a marquee player in relatively short order.
Based not just on this wine but a host of other 2013s I’ve tasted, this is shaping up to be a very ‘classic’—i.e. balanced, not overblown—vintage for Brunello di Montalcino wine (you’ll notice the stated ABV on the label here is 13.5%, which is quite moderate for the modern era in Montalcino). In the glass, it’s a luminous, deep, nearly opaque garnet red with slight orange reflections on the rim. The nose explodes with deeply complex aromatics driven by mature fruit and savory earth: red cherry, black plum, red currant, blood orange peel, wet roses and violets, dry autumn leaves, warm spices, leather, wild mushroom stock, and dried meat. The wine is medium-plus in body with a chiseled, energetic feel—exactly what I expect from top-tier Sangiovese (if I want more chunky, chocolate-rich extract, I drink something else). It’s a little too big to be tagged as ‘Burgundian,’ but the nerve and aromatic lift are there. Its impeccable balance lends it drinkability now, but it’s still a baby: Yes, you will want to try a bottle sooner than later, so decant it about an hour before serving at 60-65 degrees in Bordeaux stems. If I were in Montalcino I’d order some pappardelle with wild boar ragù to go with it, or maybe squab or one of the other game birds the Tuscans love so much; the attached recipe for duck in the style of porchetta would be unbelievably good. Whatever you do, though, please try to lay some of this wine down: Come 2025 (and well beyond), it’s going to really be singing—I hope I can hold off! Enjoy!
