Le Ragnaie - Passo Del Lume Spento Brunello Di Montalcino 2017
Price: $159.99
Producer | Le Ragnaie |
Country | Italy |
Region | Brunello di Montalcino |
Varietal | sangiovese |
Vintage | 2017 |
Sku | 28432 |
Le Ragnaie Description
This high elevation Sangiovese is elegant and complex, with bright red fruit and dark cherries punctuated by floral notes of dried flowers, spice and earth. On the pallet, the wine is a full-bodied, elegant, and pure expression of Sangiovese with a long finish.
As the highest vineyard in Montalcino, this is named for the pass of Montalcino. Lume Spento means "lights out," and it is believed this is because it is so windy that travelers’ candles would blow out. The vineyard has been planted with bush vines (this is a system that deals well with heat and Montalcino is getting hotter every year!) since 2012, and the 2017 is the first vintage bottled.
Wine Advocate: 96 Points
The Le Ragnaie 2017 Brunello di Montalcino Passo del Lume Spento (with 3,020 bottles made) sees its fruit sourced from one of the highest places in the appellation, or the "pass of the extinguished lantern," as the wine's name translates into English. It is part of a broader trend that Montalcino vintners seem to be looking for cooler, high-altitude growing sites for Sangiovese. This wine demonstrates without a doubt that elevation is key in obtaining elegance in the warm years. This Brunello is particularly bright, punchy and energetic. It is one of the stars of this report.
Decanter Magazine: 93 Points
Prior to regulation changes in 2016, 600 metres was the upper limit for Brunello di Montalcino. From a single vineyard which sits on a sandstone plateau at 621 metres above sea level, this first release of Passo del Lume Spento is particularly significant, not just for Le Ragnaie but for the entire region especially as it corresponds with the blistering 2017 vintage. A harbinger of the future? It exhibits fresh aromas of lavender and fennel with warm, fragrant earth and a subtle smokiness. A mid-weight, crunchy, sinewy wine, it tastes of red berries squeezed from rocky earth, accompanied by tangy acidity.