2016 Brunello di Montalcino

Francesco Ripaccioli and his family at Canalicchio di Sopra have taken things to a new level with this recent set of new releases. From top to bottom, the 2019s display a balance of elegance, texture and transparency to terroir that keeps me coming back to the glass again and again. After years of tasting countless wines, I can confidently say that the 2019 Vigna La Casaccia is a perfect wine. La Casaccia is located just outside the winery and is primarily made up of clay soils with a good amount of mineral elements, primarily calcium, alternating with pebbles at about 300 meters of elevation. This is one of the first crus that Francesco Ripaccioli chose to single out years ago. As for the 2019 Montosoli, it’s another tremendous achievement. The Montosoli was one of the top wines of the 2018 vintage, and now, again in 2019, it’s at the very top of my list. However, the house Brunello remains unaffected by the fruit loss from these two sites. The Brunello di Montalcino of Canalicchio di Sopra is always a gorgeous and transparent representation of northern Montalcino terroir and a wine that stands on its own, shoulder to shoulder with the best of the region. On my most recent visit, Francesco Ripaccioli opened up his selection of 2016s, which are maturing beautifully. He also gave me a sneak preview of the 2019 Riserva, bottled entirely from the Vigna Vecchia Mercantale vineyard. At Canalicchio di Sopra, the Riserva has the same élevage as the Brunello, with 36 months in 25-hectoliter Slavonian oak barrels, but is released later and has a different blend of vineyards depending on the vintage.

I will admit that I’ve been looking forward to tasting the 2016s from Canalicchio di Sopra with much anticipation but also trepidation - could they really live up to the lofty expectations I have of them? Well, they do. Francesco Ripaccioli continues his work to further define the unique parcels within each of his vineyards, and to use them accordingly to create wines that are unmistakably Northern Montalcino in character with stunning balance and structure. What’s more, any fears that the La Casaccia bottling would have robbed the house Brunello of its flair can be put to rest, because that wine is a stand-out amongst its peers. Also in the wings at Canalicchio di Sopra is the first vintage of Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Montosoli, to be released in 2024. The last time we witnessed a pure Montosoli from this house was with their 2013 Riserva. At that time it wasn’t legally able to carry the vineyard’s name on its label since all cru designations must be declared prior to use. In this case, Vigna Montosoli was declared in 2018.

Speaking of the Riserva, I was pleasantly surprised by the 2015. In past vintages, to my tastes, Canalicchio di Sopra Riservas always seemed bigger, darker but not quite as complex as the straight Brunello. It was only with the 2013 vintage that I started to notice more of a focus on fruit than power, and this continues in 2015. Francesco Ripaccioli explained to me that they use “the vineyard which best represents the characteristics of each vintage” to create their Riserva, and also that there is no set amount of time for the wine to spend in wood versus bottle. A good example of this is the 2015, which was sourced entirely from the Vigna Vecchia Mercatale, and it only spent an extra two months in 2,500-liter Slavonian oak casks prior to bottling. It’s one of the most successful Riservas of the vintage.