2016 Brunello di Montalcino Vieilles Vignes

The Le Ragnaie V.V. (Vigna Vecchia) is sourced from their highest elevation site of their oldest vines, planted in 1968. The aromatics of the 2016 Brunello Di Montalcino Ragnaie V.V. are lifted with pine, bright cherry fruit, rosehip, and orange zest. Of the single vineyards, it has the most tension-packed structure, with angular tannins and linear drive. The palate is fresh with crisp cherry fruit, licorice, and a stony mineral feel. This is a wine that certainly needs time to unfold and express its character. It would benefit from at least five years or more in the cellar before checking in. 2027-2042. Le Ragnaie is perched at high elevation just south of the hill of Montalcino and led by the estate owners, Riccardo and Jennifer Campinoti.

Le Ragnaie farms some of the highest-elevation vineyards in the appellation, and this wine gets its fruit from the site that is the highest of all. The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Ragnaie V. V. offers an extremely chiseled and sharp bouquet as a result. Wild berry, blue flower, balsam herb and crushed stone emerge with intensity. The tannins are firm and tight, and given those high altitudes, the wine's extra crispness comes as no surprise. The fruit is harvested from old vines, 60 years old or more. This is a small 4,470-bottle production.

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino V.V. is more of a whisper than a shout, impressing with a wonderfully floral display, as crushed stone and smoke gives way to bright cherries and strawberries, then dried roses and incense. It’s silky yet lifted but also youthfully compact, ushering in tart red fruits wound tightly in a mix of minerals and fine tannin. There’s a purity here that is otherworldly, even as this finishes classically dry and austere. The V.V. is sourced from the original vineyard and vines of Le Ragnaie at 600 meters. It will need many years to fully blossom and broaden out its textures, but it is worth waiting for.