2012 Rosso di Montalcino

Canalicchio di Sopra is one of Montalcino's historic wineries. Over the years, I have had the privilege of tasting some of the estate's older vintages, which have often been thrilling, including a recent bottle of the 1970 that was breathtaking. Sadly, Canalicchio di Sopra went through a bit of a rough patch after Pier Luigi Ripaccioli's stroke in 1999, but in recent years, quality has rebounded in a meaningful way. Today, Ripacciolo’s children run the winery; Francesco makes the wines, while his brother Marco tends to the vineyards and their sister Simonetta takes care of hospitality.

The estate’s Brunello is made of a blend from the Canalicchio and Montosoli properties and spends around 36 months in Slavonian oak botti. In top years, Canalicchio di Sopra also makes a Riserva, which is sourced predominantly from a parcel of the oldest vines in Canalicchio plus 5-10% fruit from Montosoli. First produced in 1987, the Riserva sees about 42 months in cask. Beginning in 2003, the Riserva spends the first six months of its time in the cellar in French oak casks. The Riserva tends to be richer, deeper and riper than the straight bottling, with, naturally a bit of French oak influence. Within the broader context of Montalcino, both Brunellos are powerful, classic-leaning wines that need time to show some of the more refined qualities of the northern side of Montalcino.

I find differences between the two Brunellos tend to be more stylistic than qualitative, especially in recent years. In many vintages, I prefer the straight bottling, although Francesco Ripaccioli contends the Riserva only shows its pedigree after ten years or so. Either way, both Canalicchio Brunellos are striking, full of personality and well worth checking out. Best of all, the wines will reward consumers with many years, and in some cases, decades, of exceptional drinking. Today, Canalicchio di Sopra is without question one of the most exciting properties in Montalcino.

Francesco Ripaccioli, who took over winemaking in 2007, describes 2010 as a warm but not excessively hot vintage with cool nights that favored the development of aromatics and structure, a sort of hypothetical blend of 2004 and 2007.

Readers who have not tasted these wines owe it to themselves to do so. Canalicchio di Sopra is without question one of the most exciting estates in Montalcino today.

Once again, I was deeply impressed with the wines I tasted from Canalicchio di Sopra, one of the most overlooked estates in Montalcino. It would be great to see this small, family-run estate on the northern side of town get a little more attention. The wines are loaded with personality and rarely disappoint.