2020 Rosso di Montalcino

The 2019s at Le Ragnaie are loaded with complexity and full of energy. I remember meeting Riccardo Campinoti and pouring his newly released and only wine: the 2004. At that time, it was a complete outlier from everything else made in Montalcino. Today, Le Ragnaie boasts a total of five Brunellos, four of which are single vineyard wines, distinguishing the estate in a crowd of the best producers in the region. Campinoti’s Brunello Passo del Lume Spento continues to be a big standout. While not the highest-scoring wine in the portfolio, its high-elevation fruit (the highest in the region until the Gaja family started planting their new vineyards just up the hill) creates a wine of stimulating presence. It’s a Brunello full of tension and energy. I was utterly enamored by the Casanovina Montosoli, a perfect example of how locations in the north really shined in 2019. The best part is that the Brunello di Montalcino Annata remains a serious effort, as does the Rosso di Montalcino.