Podere le Ripi – Lupi e Sirene Brunello di Montalcino Riserva – 2013

The history of Podere Le Ripi is pretty recent, we are talking about 1990s when Francesco Illy, son of the third generation of the most important Italian coffee family, decided to buy this farm in the south-east side of Montalcino, an area particularly suited for the production of Sangiovese near Sant’Angelo. A lover of Burgundy wines, he decided to use the same style in the vineyard, i.e. he positioned the plants very close to each other in order to force the roots to go deeper and thus obtain wines of great character. In 2012 Sebastian Nasello’s arrival in the winery marked a revolution in the production approach: with the support of a very young team he oriented the winery to biodynamics. Vineyards are divided between two different sides of Montalcino East-West, which have completely different characteristics, for this reason the philosophy of the winery is to create pure wines, both for vintage and for geological area.

A winery and a wine in continuous evolution, always looking for perfection, this is what represents the label we find on “Lupi e Sirene” the Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, as well as the symbol of the winery, an idea of Francesco Illy. The grapes come from a vineyard with soils rich in clay and limestone, more than 11000 plants per hectare, very low yields. This Brunello Riserva is a real atomic bomb starting from an incredibly complex, wild and elegant nose. This is also true on the palate where the structure is impressive, the tannins are dense but still overbearing and show how far there is still to go. Keep it in the cellar for a few years when it will unleash its power.

• Producer: Podere le Ripi
• Name: Lupi e Sirene Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
• Grape Variety: 100% sangiovese
• Vintage:2013
• Alcohol Content: 14%
• Bottle Size: 750ml

Productive Notes: Spontaneous fermentation and maceration on skins for 55 days in oak vats with frequent pumping over. After malolactic fermentation, the wine is aged in large oak casks for 48 months, in cement tanks for 12 months and finally in bottle for other 12 months.