2004 Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino

• By Antonio Galloni
  Looking Back at the 2005 & 2004 Brunellos (Oct 2016), 10/1/2016, (See more on Vinous...)

  (Le Ragnaie Brunello Di Montalcino) Login and sign up and see review text.

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  1/27/2009, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (LE RAGNAIE Brunello) 2004 Brunello Dear Friends, The day after Didier Dagueneau passed away, a friend of mine happened to wander into La Logge in the heart of Siena. A gregarious individual was also in the restaurant clinging to a magnum of 2002 Silex that he was pouring for anyone that would pay attention. He claimed he was sharing the wine in effigy as he was also a winemaker and the sad news went straight to his heart. Five bottles of wine and a half bottle of rum later and my friend was his US importer. Dumb luck? I prefer to say it was karma... The gregarious individual was Riccardo Campinoti and his 2004 Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino just may be the wine of the vintage. Considering the US rights to this producer had become the most sought after since Cerbaiona, it took a story like this (and not the piles of money tossed in his face by the usual US suspects) to make the partnership a reality. Sometimes the best things in life (or business) come to fruition due to nothing more than a human connection. They are not about corporate contracts, promises of grandeur, bottom-lines or EBITDA - they are about a handshake over a magnum of Pouilly-Fume. After tasting and re-tasting dozens of the top wines from this heralded (but tough to wrap your arms around) vintage, the Le Ragnaie has that extra special something that separates it (and the very best wines of the world) from everything else. It is so special that I can still taste it this morning - when that happens, I know I am in the midst of a unique experience that only occurs a few times per year (it happened last year with JJ Prum's 2007 LGKA as an example). Left open on my counter (not in cooling) for a full five days before any noticeable degradation, the layers of perfumed, full-bore fruit kept showing themselves in a new light - a world-class effort that is the qualitative equal of the very best this region has to offer - especially in 2004. Where Brunello has been mired in controversy and modern delusions (see: Fanti), this wine harkens to the 1982 or 1988 vintage with its traditional but massively layered style - this is old-school from a young gun fanatical about organic viticulture and winemaking (Le Ragnaie will be fully biodynamic this year but the 2004 is also 100% organically grown and produced). This is a non-interventionist example that sees no new oak or pumped up hot fermentation to intensify the wine, instead, all of the new barrels are "sacrificed" to the Rosso di Montalcino so no obtuse wood influence mars the Brunello. In other words, his Rosso seasons the wood for a few years and then (when he deems it neutral enough) it is used with the Brunello (which makes his Rosso very modern in style - somewhat of an oxymoron as the wines are diametrically opposed). As a side note, Riccardo only produces Rosso when he has new barrels to season - otherwise, there are only 500-700 cases of Brunello - that's it. This is the new generation of Brunello - the new face of a vintage Vox amp played by a young genius that never saw the Who live in the 1960's but can play just as well as Townshend with even quicker fretboard work. Two words come to mind with the 2004 Le Ragnaie: elegance and breed. It's not the biggest or the most extracted wine but it dances in the company of the best of a tannic vintage. Nearly profound in its complete quality and reflection on this specific growing season, this wine was certainly aided by its superlative vineyard material - the highest south-facing vineyard in Montalcino. Campinoti also owns two other vineyards in very different locations (one near Monte Amiata, in the southeast corner of the region and another down the hill from his high elevation monopole) which allows him to blend various lots into a single wine. There is no Riserva - all of the best material goes into this wine. In 2004, nearly all of the fruit for the Brunello came from the hilltop parcel that is typically the very last in Brunello to ripen - it is an enviable vineyard that even Soldera has given nod to as possibly Brunello's single finest site. It is the coldest south of town site in Montalcino but it has the longest daylight exposure in the area - the magic yin-yang of elevation and exposure that cannot be duplicated. What you will not find in this wine are over-roasted, over-ripe elements and instead you have a Cote Brune-like layered and muscular achievement that retinas an incredible level of elegance and classic deep cherry tone - the pure fruit and rock-like elements literally spill from the glass like pieces of shale that are chipped off to reveal sparkling red and dark gold nuggets underneath. Not only does this wine possess the most gorgeous perfumed material but its most unique aspect may be what it doesn't have - high alcohol. The 2004 Le Ragnaie is only 13.0-13.5% alcohol versus the ubiquitous 14.0-15.0% of most of the other 2004 wines - this makes an enormous difference in the palate profile and mouthfeel of the wine. The final icing on the cake is the price - among the lowest of the vintage for this level of quality (certainly due to the absence of several tiers of margin that most of the known commodities are subjected to). Le Ragnaie is on a roll - period (Riccardo Campinoti has even produced one of the finer 2005 Brunello's still resting in his cellar. 2005 was a much more difficult vintage than 2004 and while excellent, the 2005 is not even close to the level of his 2004). Please note: As predicted a few weeks ago, the reaction at the SF Brunello tasting last week was one of "ho-hum" with only a few wines showing quite well. For those of you going tomorrow in NY, many of the heavy-hitters will not be poured (Valdicava, Cerbaiona or even Friggiali, Donna Olga or Romitorio) so the snap-shot is not a complete one by any means - I expect a similar reaction as in SF. Most of the producers pouring refuse to decant the wines for 24-48 hours as needed and 30 minutes of air and a quarter ounce pour just doesn't get it done with the 2004s - upon first opening, the wines are a compressed shell of what they truly are and this vintage requires concentration and much time with each wine - something that is not possible at a grand walk-around tasting (a reason why many incomplete and inaccurate assessments will be made). I will state again: the 2004 Brunello vintage is not an obvious one - it is not a restaurant vintage of immediate accessibility. Nearly all of the wines will require deft patience, similar to 1986 Bordeaux, but you should be rewarded with complexity down the road that has the potential to be stunning. Keep in mind, this wine is not going to be available through normal large-scale commercial distribution - it is the exclusive US right of a top-tier small national importer who wishes to have the wine in the hands of those that will consume it and not use it simply as a means of turning a profit. Karma deserves payback and we are more than happy to oblige. This parcel is directly from the source with the finest provenance available. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED as a serious red wine of breed that has outstanding price/value for its genre: 2004 Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Italy5722