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Canalicchio di Sopra, Brunello di Montalcino, 2021

Red Wine from Tuscany, Italy
by Canalicchio di Sopra
$141.99
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The 2021 Brunellos are being called a 'vertical' vintage — wines defined by tension, precision, and nervy energy rather than mass — and Canalicchio di Sopra is a perfect address to taste that style from. The Ripaccioli family farms in the cooler northern zone of Montalcino, splitting fruit between the historic Canalicchio plain (calcareous clay) and the famed Montosoli hill (free-draining galestro). The 2021 standard Brunello shows the vintage's signature: delicate mineral notes framing sweet Sangiovese aromatics, taut on the palate, driven by fine tension and silky tannins over a mid-weight frame. Just released and showing well now with a couple of hours in a carafe, but really built for the cellar — best drinking 2027 onward and the bones to develop for two decades.

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Antonio Galloni

95 points

"The 2021 Brunello di Montalcino is explosive in the glass, with waves of crushed rocks, savory herbs, nuances of split pine and dried strawberries. It communicates both juiciness and refinement, with crystalline mineral tones contrasting racy red and black fruits. The 2021 leaves the senses drenched in primary concentration as a sour twang of citrus mingles with fine tannins through the dramatically long finale. Despite having separated out the single-vineyard wines over the years, I am continually impressed with Canalicchio di Sopra's Brunello." —Eric Guido

Robert Parker

95 points

"Beautifully balanced and polished, the Canalicchio di Sopra 2021 Brunello di Montalcino shows delicate mineral notes that frame cassis, blue flower and sweet Sangiovese aromatics. The wine is taut and energetic, driven by fine tension that carries through a mid-weight palate with length and silky, well-managed tannins, resulting in an elegant yet accessible expression. Fermented in stainless steel and aged for 36 months in large Slavonian oak casks, the wine is sourced from fruit drawn across 10 hectares of vines over 10 years of age from the Canalicchio and Montosoli sites. Production totals 38,241 bottles, including larger formats." —Monica Larner

Jancis Robinson

18 points

"Mid ruby with orange tinges. Softly perfumed, complex raspberry and sour-cherry nose. Suave and pure fruit on the palate with gorgeous grainy tannins adding a real edge to the long finish. Substantial and elegant at the same time. Great length and stunning balance." —Walter Speller

Wine Spectator

95 points

"Aromas of red cherries, pepper, meat and a hint of dark olives. Medium- to full-bodied, showing subtle fleshiness and precise tannins that bring focus and definition. There’s an ethereal quality, with pure, transparent red fruit and a clean, graceful finish. So approachable. Drink or hold."

Kerin O'Keefe

96 points

"The classic 2021 Brunello from Canalicchio di Sopra entices with its fragrance of lavender, eucalyptus, dark spice and red plum. Delicious and loaded with finesse, the smooth palate offers strawberry compote, red cherry, licorice and crushed mint accompanied by taut, refined tannins. Fresh acidity and a hint of orange zest elevate the finish. Drink 2029–2039." —Kerin O'Keefe

More about Canalicchio di Sopra

Canalicchio di Sopra is the north side of Montalcino in a bottle: two contrasting crus, cooler slopes, and Brunello with tension and silky tannins rather than brute power. It's one of the area's most respected traditional estates, and a family affair from the start.

Primo Pacenti founded the estate in 1962 and was one of the twelve founders of the Brunello di Montalcino Consorzio in 1967. His son-in-law Pier Luigi Ripaccioli followed, and today his grandchildren Francesco, Marco and Simonetta run things, with Francesco in the cellar and Marco in the vineyards.

They farm about 19 hectares of Sangiovese, and only Sangiovese, in two places. The Canalicchio cru around the winery sits at roughly 280 to 320 meters on mineral-rich clay. Montosoli, the famous neighboring hill, sits lower on lime-rich marl and galestro and brings structure, minerality and sapidity. The straight Brunello usually blends the two, while single-vineyard bottlings from Montosoli and La Casaccia show each side on its own. Fermentation is in stainless steel and aging in large, older casks, so the oak never gets in the way.

The Rosso is the early-drinking way in; the Brunellos reward a decade or more in the cellar.

Wine Details

  • Grape Variety

    Sangiovese

  • Vintage

    2021

  • Size

    750ml

  • Sweetness

    Dry

  • Body

    Full Bodied

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Tasting Notes & Food Pairings

Perfect Pairings

Florentine steak, herb-roasted lamb, wild-mushroom risotto, or aged Tuscan pecorino. The wine's tension and elegance reward both serious cooking and quieter dishes that let the Sangiovese sing.

Tasting Profile

Cassis, sweet red cherry, blue flower, and dried violet over delicate notes of crushed stone and ashen mineral. The palate is taut and energetic with fine tension, silky well-managed tannins, fresh acidity, and a long, savory, mineral-driven finish.

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