2013 Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino 750 ml

We sifted through all 8,500+ acres in Montalcino to find today’s 2013 Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino—the 95-point “linear and bright” classic that demands space in your cellar.

Beautifully restrained, Le Ragnaie emits aromas of black cherry, crushed blackberry, and espresso, tinged with dark chocolate, which lead to a core infused with dark raspberry, plum, and crushed-rock minerality. Wonderfully balanced, maintaining the rustic, earth-driven elements you’d expect from Tuscan Sangiovese in a combination that’s impossible to imitate because of the estate’s unique location in Montalcino.

In his book The Sommelier’s Atlas of Taste, Rajat Parr notes that the best vines of Montalcino are planted on the hillsides surrounding the town, where the forefathers of Brunello first conceived of its potential greatness—Biondi-Santi ($198), Salvioni ($166), Il Marroneto ($223) and Le Ragnaie (pronounced Lay Ron-YIE-yay), which Parr singles out as a “classic.” 

Le Ragnaie’s organically farmed vines rooted above 2,000 feet are the highest in Montalcino. Wunderkind winemaker Riccardo Campinoti is the talk of the hill, and his 2013 balances serious Cru Barolo structure teetering on Grand Cru Burgundy finesse, infused with a core of dark raspberry, plum, and crushed rock minerality. Primarily available in restaurants at a generous markup, we have 360 bottles offered at $59.99 and $49.99 on cases (37% off SRP) for a short time today. 

“Classic in no way means ‘delicate,’” writes Parr. But rather, the 100% Sangiovese wines that comprise classic Brunello di Montalcino are “not too voluminous and round, and always with a skeleton of fine-boned acidity.” The world’s two leading Italian critics, Vinous's Antonio Galloni and James Suckling, echo Parr’s assessment, pointing out that the prettiest wines from Montalcino embody grace and longevity over power and opulence. Galloni claims that what the supernova Le Ragnaie estate has achieved “can only be described as a virtually unheard of level of success in less than a decade.” 

That decree is pointed squarely at Le Ragnaie’s Riccardo Campinoti, who is focused on the traditional style that Biondi-Santi made famous (and that has an unbelievable cellar potential of 40-50+ years). Native yeast fermentation in concrete tanks and aging in large Slavonian oak casks for three years with an additional year in bottle before release reveals “the essence of balance and Brunello beauty,” as Parker’s Wine Advocate has previously described releases from Campinoti. 

The 2013 vintage is characterized as “a classic year” by Galloni, who finds “refined and sleek ” Brunellos, “rather than blockbusters,” and notes they are “surprisingly approachable early,” but capable of long term aging. A 95-point classic from one of the top four producers of Brunello di Montalcino at an under-$60 price is simply unheard of given the quality and all the critical praise. 30 cases up for grabs for our Tuscan faithful.