2020 Brunello di Montalcino, Ragnaie V.V., Le Ragnaie

This is an outstanding wine from Le Ragnaie. Showing unescapable mineral definition, the 2020 Brunello di Montalcino Ragnaie V. V. sees fruit sourced from the estate's oldest vines, which were planted in 1968 on sandstone soils (with quartz inclusions) at 600 meters above sea level. The bouquet is bright and fragrant, but the wine also has a salty or harder edge that gives it good runway to age and evolve. I love its elegantly built structure. Only 3,800 bottles were made. ~ (97) Monica Larner, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 11-21-2024

the 2020 Brunello di Montalcino V.V. entices with a darkly floral blend of wilted violets and stone dust, giving way to pine shavings, spiced orange peels and crushed blackberries. It's elegant, with silken textures and polished red and black fruits that ride a wave of fresh acidity as violet inner florals amass toward the close. An air of potpourri resonates above a bed of fine-grained tannins as a bitter tinge of citrus-laced blackberry fades slowly. The 2020 V.V. is the most complete and classic wine from Le Ragnaie's lineup this year - in a word, spellbinding. ~ (96) Eric Guido, Vinous 11-1-2024

The 2020 Brunello Di Montalcino Ragnaie V.V. is a cut above the rest in this vintage and really over-delivers, bringing all the best elements of this vintage into rich contrast. Revealing ripe aromatics of kirsch, fresh leather, sweet tobacco, blood orange, and anise, the palate is saturated and pure, with incredible lift while also having notable depth, and it has an incredibly long-lasting finish, with crystalline salty accents. This powerful wine is going to benefit from time in bottle, but it feels as though it's going mature at a very slow rate despite its youthful appeal now. Drink it over the coming 20 years. ~ (98) Audrey Frick, JebDunnuck.com 1-22-2025