In the world of promising young talent, the road to recognition often involves having the courage to break with established rules. It is a price you must pay to achieve excellence and earn the respect of those who have already chosen their path. It is in this break with established traditions where true originality and the potential to leave a lasting mark on a field emerges, demonstrating that constant change and renewal are key to progress and inspiration in any area. According to the prestigious Wine Advocate magazine, for Riccardo Campinoti, one of Montalcino’s most promising young producers, the only way he thought he could defend his unique vision of Sangiovese in a wine growing at a higher altitude than the denomination calls for (over 600 metres above sea level) was to leave the prestigious Tuscan denomination and label his wine Le Ragnaie Troncone Toscana Rosso within the IGT Toscana Rosso. This wine’s name, Troncone, means stump, which is Riccardo’s grandfather’s nickname, and was made as a tribute to the old way of making wine.
Le Ragnaie Troncone Toscana Rosso is a single-variety Sangiovese from 15-year-old vines planted in sandstone, limestone and clay soils. No chemicals are used in the vineyard or in the winery and the grapes are harvested by hand at the optimum point of ripeness. Then, in the winery, fermentation is carried out with native yeasts and skins for 2 weeks in cement tanks. Finally, the wine is aged for one year in used Slavonian oak barrels.
Keeping the name of the farm he acquired in Montalcino, Ragnaie, the Etruscan name for the net used to catch birds in ancient times, Riccardo produces unique wines where the star Sangiovese variety acquires a new touch and is brought back from anonymity. Le Ragnaie Troncone Toscana Rosso is proof of this. A new generation Sangiovese that will win you over at the first sip.