2020 Brunello di Montalcino

Francesco Ripaccioli can always be relied on for an honest assessment of vintages. There’s no need to mince words regarding 2020. It was one of the warmest vintages Montalcino has ever encountered, including a period in mid-summer when the vines shut down due to the heat. However, there were several well-timed rain events in the region, and producers could spend as much time in the vineyards as they liked because this was the year of COVID-19 lockdown. Properly shading the fruit to avoid sunburn and picking the absolute best harvest time from location to location was essential. Ultimately, Canalicchio di Sopra succeeded in producing a set of gorgeous wines. The higher-elevation sites and the marl, clay and limestone soils of Montosoli yielded the best results. Ripaccioli chose not to make a Riserva in 2020, so the additional fruit from Vecchia Mercatale aided the Brunello di Montalcino, typically a blend of the La Casaccia and Montosoli vineyards. The 2020s possess a more immediate quality that aligns with the season but are also gorgeously balanced, placing them amongst the best wines of the vintage. I also tasted each vintage of La Casaccia, back to its first release in 2015. I am amazed by the potential for these wines to mature gracefully despite their power. Readers will find that reflected in many of the notes in this report. Finally, there’s the 2019 Riserva, produced entirely from the Vecchia Mercatale vineyard. It’s as glorious as expected, dark yet radiant and well muscled. Canalicchio di Sopra bottles this wine with the Brunello and Cru wines yet releases it a year early, which helps it to stand out amongst its peers.