Canalicchio di Sopra- Rosso di Montalcino Vertical
Saturday, we had the opportunity to taste an incredible vertical which showcased 11 vintages of Canalicchio di Sopra’s Rosso di Montalcino.
In the past we’ve looked at Rosso di Montalcino as a wine for fairly immediate consumption, or very moderate cellaring, not its aging potential, for that we have Brunello. However, we’ve often wondered how Rosso di Montalcino, from a high quality producer like Canalicchio di Sopra, would hold up over time when properly cellared.
This incredible vertical shows that Rosso di Montalcino from a high quality estate definitely has the ability to age gracefully, evolve, and gain a great deal of complexity over time. These wines were showing beautifully, over-delivered, and were just an absolute joy to drink. There were many points throughout the night where we almost forgot that we were drinking Rosso di Montalcino, and not Brunello di Montalcino. These wines were true “baby Brunellos”. This vertical demonstrated that these wines are incredibly approachable and enjoyable in their youth, and with time, complex, multifaceted, and quite serious. A true testament to the quality of this incredible estate.
Thank you so much Eric, Vince, Vinifera Imports, and Canalicchio di Sopra for sharing this incredible lineup with us, thank you, Mikhail, for your incredible hospitality hosting this incredible event, and thank you, Rob, Cliff, and Brent for the amazing food, laughs, and great company.
Below are our tasting notes. All wines were opened approximately 1.5 hours prior to tasting. Please note, for this tasting all bottles were shipped directly from the estate where they had been carefully stored since release, except for the 2002 which was generously provided by Vince Attard of Vinifera Imports, who’d been carefully holding this bottle since release. The only wine missing from this incredible lineup was the 2012, which sadly no one was able to track down. If anyone has a lead on where we can find one, please let us know!
2002
Nose: Smoke, salt, the beach, minerals, magnesium, blood, pine, wood, baked tomato, tomato leaf, forest floor, and church.
Palate: Pine, smoke, licorice, leather, tomato, pomegranate juice, and walnuts. Finishes long with mature notes of tart cherry.
Notes: As the wine sat in our glasses, it began to taste more youthful by the minute. A nice balance of acidity and tannins. After being in our glass for about 2.5 hours, it really opened up, took on some notes of honey, and pleasant oxidative aromas came out. It’s important to note that this was a challenging vintage for Montalcino, and it was amazing to see how well this wine was drinking. Don’t forget, this is a Rosso di Montalcino, not a Brunello di Montalcino, and because of that it’s probably safe to assume no one ever expected this bottle to be held for so long. What made this all so appropriate, was that in some way, this was the theme of the night. We believe that we, as consumers, have underestimated Rosso di Montalcino in every way, shape, and form, and this bottle perfectly demonstrated just that.
2010
Nose: Delicate notes of chocolate, crushed red cherries, leather, and smoke.
Palate: Leather, tart cherries, tart red fruit, with a persistent finish. Perfectly integrated tannins, with bright, lively fruit and acidity.
Notes: Truly a baby Brunello. Drinking shockingly youthful, and in our opinion will continue to improve over the next few years. Impeccably balanced. There wasn’t a single element of this wine which really stood out to us, it didn’t have an abundance of fruit, or acidity, or tannins that was necessary “in your face”, and that’s what actually made it so beautiful, everything worked together in perfect harmony. So unbelievably enjoyable.
2011
Nose: Ripe red fruits, crushed cherries, raspberries, and some leather. So pretty, and so youthful.
Palate: Licorice, cherries, leather, smoke, pomegranate juice and a hint of baked tomatoes. Incredibly persistent finish.
Notes: Was drinking shockingly youthful, with a ton of fruit still very much present, will likely continue to improve over the next couple of years.
2013
Nose: A pretty subdued nose with notes of black fruits, some leather/saddle, and a gamey-like quality to it.
Palate: Tart cherry juice, licorice, walnuts, some baked tomato, and a great deal of leather/saddle. Gritty, ultra fine tannins.
Notes: In our opinion, a little unbalanced and lacking some acidity, but still very enjoyable.
2014
Nose: Tart red fruit, smoke, forest, pine, and baked walnuts.
Palate: Mature red fruit, walnuts, pomegranates, and tart red cherries.
Notes: This was a challenging vintage for Montalcino, but with that said, it’s incredible how enjoyable this wine actually is from a year that was so tough. It doesn’t have the complexity of some of the other vintages in this line up, and it’s likely at peak, but it’s still extremely enjoyable.
2015
Nose: Stewed raspberries and strawberries, some basil, pine, and rosemary. Very youthful.
Palate: Black fruit, chocolate, and licorice. Perfectly integrated, but very much present, forward tannins.
Notes: Acidity is a bit on the lower side. Still very young, will continue to improve and gain complexity with time, but still very enjoyable now, especially with food.
2016
Nose: So pretty and so floral. Pronounced aromas of peonies and rose petals lead the way, along with some licorice and crushed raspberries, and cherries which follow. Very floral and aromatic.
Palate: Crushed cherries, and some leather. Tannins very much present and noticeable, but are perfectly integrated. Bright, vibrant and lively fruit. Persistent finish.
Notes: Unbelievably structured, with impeccable balance. Although this wine is extremely enjoyable today it has a very, very, long life ahead of it, and has perhaps the greatest potential of any of the vintages in this lineup. We can’t wait to see how this wine will evolve over the years.
2017
Nose: Sadly, we forgot to take notes on this one.
Palate: Black fruit, cherry juice, and leather. Very fruit forward, and a bit gamey. Some oak is detectable.
Notes: Curious to see how this wine will evolve over time. A great effort from a brutally challenging vintage.
2018
Nose: Ripe red fruit, with a bit of pine. Very straightforward.
Palate: Ripe red fruits and some graphite. Fruit forward, and pretty, though a bit one dimensional.
Notes: Very enjoyable with food.
2019
Nose: Crushed cherries, new leather, pine, and rosemary.
Palate: Tart red cherries, minerals, and pomegranate.
Notes: We suspect this will age nicely over the next 5 years or so and develop complexity, though it’s still very enjoyable today. Some oak is detectable, but not at all overpowering or offensive, and it’s subtle enough that it will likely dissipate with time.
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