Power and richness are the hallmarks of the latest vintage
March 6th – Ripe al Convento 2017, the Brunello di Montalcino Riserva produced by Marchesi Frescobaldi’s Tenuta di CastelGiocondo, has now arrived in international markets, to the delight of wine-lovers. Extraordinary power and multi-layered complexity are all the hallmarks of this latest vintage. Result of a summer will be remembered for its heat spells, which were, however, significantly tempered here by the vineyard’s high elevation. Those unique conditions contributed to the other qualities of this vintage, overall finesse and elegance, traits classic to this Brunello.
Tenuta CastelGiocondo, one of the pioneer Brunello di Montalcino producers in the early 19th century, has exercised a leading role throughout the history of the denomination. In addition, this noble estate has enabled the Frescobaldi family, who have owned it since 1989, to look forward with confidence to future challenges and to new stylistic opportunities as well in this growing area, through their commitment to viticultural and winemaking research and experimentation.
The CastelGiocondo estate, dominated by its ancient 12th century fortress, is distinctive for its diversity of elevations and soil complexes. Of the estate’s total of more than 800 hectares, 235 are currently dedicated to winegrowing. The vineyards alternate with wooded areas at elevations between 250 and 450 metres, thus creating true micro-terroirs, ascending terraces characterised by blue clays, Pliocene sands, and limestone-sandstone galestro marls. This impressive soil range has allowed Marchesi Frescobaldi to experiment with different clones and rootstocks, obtaining some of the denomination’s most notable stylistic expressions, all however sharing a refined elegance as their common distinctive feature.
The marriage of history and research has led to the creation of a wine that constitutes the acme of Frescobaldi’s efforts within the growing area: Ripe al Convento – Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG.
Right from its initial vintage, this Tenuta CastelGiocondo cru has been the fruit of a rigorous quality-selection of grapes of a single vineyard. A small parcel of Sangiovese was identified on the loftiest estate hills, where the 450-metre elevation, exposure to warm afternoon sunlight, galestro-schist soils, and health-giving breezes off the Mediterranean all combined to fashion a Riserva di Brunello di Montalcino of superb elegance, personality, and longevity.
Ripe al Convento Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2017 impresses the eye with its intriguing intense, shimmering ruby red and garnet-edged rim. The nose opens to wild black and red berry fruit, in particular blackberry, blackcurrant, blueberry, and raspberry, lifted by the classic floral notes of Parma violets entwined with wild roses. More slowly developing are spicier tertiary aromas, with cracked black pepper predominating, segueing into smooth nutmeg, fermented tobacco leaf, black tea, cedarwood, and forest floor. The tannins are those one expects of Ripe al Convento, at once incisive yet supple and enfolding. A superbly crisp acidity is the perfect foil to a rounded, full body, driving to an ultra-lengthy, intense finish whose aromas linger on and on.
