2019 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.