Rosso di Montalcino at its best is a microcosm of what a producer and a terroir are capable of in any given vintage. Whereas Brunello di Montalcino wines are aged a minimum of four years in barrel/bottle and not officially released until January of the year five years from the vintage year, Rosso di Montalcino can be released after just one year of aging. As such, Rosso di Montalcino is typically pegged (and priced) as the “little brother” wine, even though the little brother often steals the show from its bigger, showier sibling.
That’s been my experience quite a bit lately: Although there are many great Brunello wines that properly capture the nerve and perfume of the Sangiovese grape, fashion has compelled many producers to chase a more concentrated style buttressed by lots of oak—driving drinkers (like me) to the more stripped-down Rossos in search of finesse. That’s what I found in this 2015 from Villa le Prata—a brightly perfumed, readily identifiable, beautifully proportioned Sangiovese. There’s no shortage of ripeness here (2015 saw to that), but there’s also a vibrant chord of freshness that keeps this wine humming from first sip to last. I’m never going to turn down a well-made Brunello, but, at the same time, I taste this wine and think: I don’t need any more than this. At this price especially, I couldn’t ask for a more complete and expressive Montalcino wine. It is spot on!
The “villa” in Villa le Prata was first a hunting lodge, built in 1860; it was later a country home for the Bishop of Montalcino. It was acquired in 1980 by Massimo Losappio, a local surgeon, and his philosophy professor wife, Marialuce. The villa, situated at about 500 meters’ altitude in the Tavarnelle subzone of Montalcino (west of Montalcino village), is surrounded by a one-hectare vineyard from which the first wines of the estate were produced. The family has since added several other small vineyard parcels, each of about one hectare in size, to their collection. Two of these, “Vigna Ramoni” and “Vigna Velona,” are situated along the southeast edge of the appellation, near the hamlet of Castelnuovo dell’Abate. The sites share similar geologic compositions, with sandy marls dominating the soil mix at the Villa and more clayey marls at the lower elevations.
Today’s 2015 Rosso di Montalcino was fermented in stainless steel and aged for a year in a mixture of new and used French oak
tonneaux (5- and 7-hectoliter capacity) as well as 30-hectoliter Slavonian oak vats. In the glass, it’s a deep, reflective ruby moving to garnet at the rim, with a beautifully ripe nose of morello cherries, fresh strawberry preserves, blood orange peel, wet rose petals, warm spices, grilled herbs, and underbrush. Medium-bodied and velvet-smooth on the palate, it has that characteristically ‘woodsy’ finish I look for in Sangiovese, and plenty of freshness to boot. This is when the grape is at its best—when it’s not pushed to ultra-ripeness at the expense of complex aromatics. A brief decant (15-30 minutes) before service definitely helps, but this an approachable wine now by design: Serve it at 60 degrees in large Bordeaux stems with BBQ chicken or well-charred steak off the grill. The only way to make the combination better would be to have it in Tuscany! Enjoy!
