Don’t let anyone tell you that you need to be rich to have a serious wine cellar. As I look back over the wines we’ve offered in 2019, I could easily assemble an impressive, age-worthy collection solely from wines in the $29-and-under category (Champagne excluded, but even there we’ve come darn close). Today’s wine from Le Ragnaie, a relative newcomer in Montalcino but undoubtedly one of its rising stars, would surely be on that list.
Like the many over-performing “Bourgogne Rouge” wines we offer, whose relatively plain labels disguise wines of serious distinction, the nickname “Troncone” and the broad-seeming “Toscana” geographic indication don’t say nearly enough about the vivid and vivacious Sangiovese in the bottle. So, to put a finer point on it, “Troncone” (meaning “stump,” a nickname once given to winemaker Riccardo Campinoti’s grandfather) isn’t just from Tuscany but from vineyards situated at 600 meters on the Le Ragnaie estate in the heart of Montalcino. In terms of its production, aging, etc., it might be labeled Rosso di Montalcino, except for the fact that the source vineyard is above the altitude threshold defined in the Brunello/Rosso di Montalcino appellation rules. In the spirit of iconic wines like Montevertine’s “Le Pergole Torte,” which is made in a prestige appellation but doesn’t say so, Troncone is transporting, transcendent wine. Unlike Le Pergole Torte, however, this one hits the $29 sweet spot—unbelievable for a wine of this quality, and, frankly, par for the course at SommSelect this year. Be greedy, because there isn’t that much to go around!
Having offered Le Ragnaie’s wonderfully pure, varietally true Brunello di Montalcino in the past, I had high expectations when I saw Troncone and their trademark bird-catchers on the label (Le Ragnaie’s estate vineyard is at one of the highest points in Montalcino, so it was a popular spot for netting birds). As you’ve likely figured out by now, it did not disappoint: Proprietors Riccardo and Jennifer Campinoti, who acquired their estate in 2000, have worked wonders with a mixture of established older vines and some newer plantings, spread across three distinct subzones—the aforementioned estate vineyard, which is centrally located on Montalcino’s south slope, just above luminaries such as Soldera and Pieve di Santa Restituta (Gaja); the “Petroso” vineyard, on the western slopes of the Montalcino village; and Castelnuovo dell’Abate to the southeast, where their “Fornace” vineyard is located. They’ve been Certified Organic since 2005 and prefer large, neutral Slavonian oak casks (25- and 50-hectoliter capacity) for aging their wines, Brunellos included. The ‘house style’ emphasizes freshness and elegance over massive extract—a fact that has catapulted them to the top of my wish list in recent years.
Once labeled Chianti Colli Senesi (an appellation many producers in Montalcino use for vineyards that fall marginally outside DOC(G) boundaries), “Troncone” comes from vineyards at the highest point on the Ragnaie estate—a beautiful, south-facing amphitheater perched at 600+ meters. The fruit was hand-harvested and the wine spent two weeks macerating on its skins during fermentation, giving it a firm tannic structure that was polished up over the course of 12 months in large casks and six months in concrete vats before bottling. It is already singing a very high-pitched and harmonious tune. In the glass, it’s a deep garnet red moving to pink at the rim, with a perfumed nose of wild cherries, red currants, blood orange, bay leaves, rose petals, and dusty earth. It has a lithe, taut, medium-bodied structure that should broaden and soften over the next 3-5 years, but it is difficult (impossible, actually) to stay away from now: Decant this floral, mouthwatering beauty about 30 minutes before serving in Burgundy stems at 60-65 degrees, and do not forget the food—this wine craves it, whether it’s a simply prepared steak, a pork roast, or maybe the attached classic, which speaks to Le Ragnaie’s bird-hunting history. You may not want to drink anything else all winter long, so stock up—Cheers!
