Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino

About Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino

Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino prioritizes tradition, elegance and purity. These are the basic traits of a great Sangiovese, but they are not easily achieved by all. Le Ragnaie’s identity is deeply linked with these efforts. Lifted notes of dried mint or Mediterranean herb appear on the close.

About Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino

Le Ragnaie is known for its elegant, terroir-driven wines that stand out in this Tuscan powerhouse category. The owner and winemaker, Riccardo Campinoti, acquired the property in 2002 and has expanded the estate to include 28 hectares covering three distinct parcels within Montalcino. The parcels Le Ragnaie and Petroso both are centered around the village of Montalcino and have the region’s highest elevation vineyards and oldest winemaking history, respectively. Additionally, the vineyards La Fornace Loreto and La Cava lie in the southern portion of Montalcino within Castelnuovo dell’Abate, adjacent to the iconic Poggio di Sotto.

Le Ragnaie makes complex, traditional wines from Sangiovese Grosso, Riccardo’s wines exhibit elegance and finesse by farming some of the highest altitude vineyards in Montalcino. All four Brunello wines are fermented in concrete without selected yeast followed by a long maceration of up to 90 days and three years in large Slavonian oak botti. All wines are bottled unfiltered and certified organic in the vineyards and cellar.

When asked about his winemaking, Riccardo describes himself firmly as a Traditionalist. He believes in long maturations, light-handed winemaking, elegant tannin extraction, refined concentration, and aging in large Slavonian oak barrels. He pays close attention to yields so as to not create heavy-handed wines, allowing the terroir of each site to be fully expressed.

“The key is balance. You want to have a good balance between alcohol, acidity, structure, and finesse. I think, for Sangiovese, it’s a little bit more difficult to obtain this with small barrels. I think Sangiovese, in my opinion, needs to age slowly with the right amount of exposure to oxygen via the oak staves which are porous, whilst aging in the barrel, and also the right amount of oak. New barrels, especially small new barrels, give off a lot of oak to the wine. There was a debate about whether this oak would dissolve after a few years. I think it doesn’t. I think its always a bit more present in the wines once they are bottled. And also the tannins are a bit more astringent.” – Riccardo Campinoti